United Nations Representative: Erbil rocket attack ‘an attempt to inflame tensions’
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The head of the United Nations’ mission in Iraq charged on Tuesday that the rocket attack that targeted the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil the previous night was "an attempt to inflame tensions" in the autonomous federal region of the embattled Middle Eastern nation.
"We reiterate that the relationship between Baghdad and Erbil is stable," Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said during her briefing before the UN Security Council.
"Such reckless attempts, " she continued, "pose grave threats to Iraq’s stability. Close collaboration between Baghdad and Erbil, to bring the culprits to justice, is now of the greatest importance.”
The UN special representative also mentioned that “agreements on the 2021 budget law requires reconciliation and compromise between Baghdad and Erbil,” pointing out that the “harsh reality is that constructive negotiations between Baghdad and Erbil continue to be hampered by laws missing since 2005. Laws on, for instance, oil and revenue sharing. Other areas of contention also include the disputed territories.”
Two rockets fell inside the Erbil International Airport grounds late Monday in an apparent attack on the Kurdistan Region’s capital. A third rocket fell on a busy civilian street in the Bakhtyari residential neighborhood, about 2 kilometers south of the airport.
A previously unknown group calling itself the "Awliya al-Dam Brigades" claimed responsibility for the attack, while relevant authorities are still investigating the incident to confirm who the perpetrators were.
Earlier today, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its thanks for the international solidarity with the Iraqi people in response to the attacks, indicating that investigations are continuing by a joint committee of federal security agencies and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
In the hours following the deadly attacks, regional Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said that the Kurdistan Region will confront “terrorists and foes” in the face of actions intended to harm the region and its people.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi also said today that he considered that those behind the incident aim to "create chaos and shuffle the cards."
US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken expressed US anger in the wake of the rocket attack and pledged support for all efforts to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also condemned the actions, describing them as "an outrageous and unacceptable act," in a post on social media.
Editing by John J. Catherine