Peshmerga Foil Militia Rocket Attack on Erbil, Destroy Vehicle Near Khazir
Security forces intercept launch attempt near frontline, preventing additional missiles from being fired toward the Kurdistan Region
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Security forces of the Kurdistan Region destroyed a vehicle used by Iraqi armed militia groups attempting to launch rockets toward Erbil from the Khazir frontline, according to a security source.
The source told Kurdistan24 that the incident occurred on Wednesday night, at around 8:00 p.m., when Iraqi militia members brought a vehicle near Peshmerga positions along the Khazir axis in an apparent attempt to carry out a missile attack on the Kurdistan Region.
After the first rocket was launched toward Erbil, the location of the vehicle was detected near the foothills of Mount Zartak.
Peshmerga forces then opened fire on the vehicle using heavy DShK machine guns, destroying it completely before additional rockets could be launched, the source said.
The source added that on Thursday afternoon, a unit from the Iraqi army arrived at the scene and removed the remains of the destroyed vehicle along with the remaining rockets.
Only one rocket had been fired before the Peshmerga forces thwarted the plan and prevented further launches.
The attempted attack comes amid the ongoing war between Iran, the United States, and Israel, which has increasingly spilled over into Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
Since the conflict erupted in late February, Erbil has been repeatedly targeted by drones and missiles launched by Iran-backed militias in Iraq, many aimed at sites hosting U.S. forces near Erbil International Airport and other coalition facilities. Most of the incoming projectiles have been intercepted by air defense systems