Lack of coordination between Peshmerga, Iraqi army behind recent rocket attack on Erbil: Commander

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Following a volley of rockets falling on the outskirts of the Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil on Tuesday afternoon, a Peshmerga commander blamed the absence of cooperation between his forces and the Iraqi army for the recurrence of such attacks.

Seven 122mm Grad rockets, launched from the Dibis area of Kirkuk, fell in a number of villages in the Qushtapa district in southern Erbil province, marking the second such attack in less than a year in that area.

The attacks did not cause any material damages or casualties, Star Agha Omer, the head of the district, told Kurdistan 24 on Tuesday.

Nouri Hama Ali, a Peshmerga commander in charge of the area, told Kurdistan 24 that negligence from the Iraqi army and the lack of coordination with the Peshmerga has led to the security vacuum in the area, exploited by Iran-backed militias and the remnants of ISIS.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, but pro-Iran groups have shared footage of the improvised launch pad on which the rockets were launched on social media.