US Consulate in Erbil condemns drone attack in Kurdistan Region
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The United States Consulate General in Erbil on Saturday condemned an attack that was carried out earlier that day by three unmanned aerial vehicles in the autonomous Kurdistan Region, calling it "a clear violation of Iraq's sovereignty."
According to the Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD), three drones equipped with explosives descended on a house along the road to Sewla village on the outskirts of Erbil, causing no casualties but some damage to one residence and at least two nearby cars.
Read More: Drone attack targets Erbil province outskirts
A social media post of the CTD pointed out that two of the drones exploded while the third did not.
— U.S. Consulate General Erbil (@USConGenErbil) June 26, 2021
"The United States condemns the attack in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region," read a statement released by the US Consulate General in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region.
"This attack represents a clear violation of Iraq's sovereignty," it added.
Iraq announced last week that its security forces had shot down two drones that were flying over Baghdad.
Read More: PHOTOS: Iraqi military shoots down 2 drones in Baghdad, one fitted with explosives
Security sources told Kurdistan 24 that two unmanned aircraft, one of which appeared to have been fitted with explosives, were destroyed late the previous night in two different sections of the capital.
They were presumed to be part of a military operation carried out by Iranian-backed militias of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).
Read More: Pro-Iran militias using ‘more sophisticated weapons’ against US forces in Iraq
The CTD is part of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC).
Editing by John J. Catherine