UK to maintain ‘advice and support’ for Kurdistan Region to counter missiles, kamikaze drones

The Kurdish region has come under attack by numerous rounds of missiles and kamikaze drones in recent years.
British Consul General to Kurdistan Region Rosy Cave is pictured during an exclusive interview with Kurdistan 24 in Erbil, Jan. 31, 2023. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
British Consul General to Kurdistan Region Rosy Cave is pictured during an exclusive interview with Kurdistan 24 in Erbil, Jan. 31, 2023. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The United Kingdom will continue to advise and support the Kurdistan Region in countering deadly missile and explosives-laden drones against Iraq’s Kurdish region, Britain’s top diplomat in the region recently told Kurdistan 24.

“The UK will continue to provide advice and support to counter these violent and deadly attacks,” the diplomat told Kurdistan 24’s Hakim Farhad in response to a question about what practical steps her country is taking to help the Region in defending itself in face of the attacks.

Cave did not elaborate on what type of support her country is providing to the Kurdish region.

In an exclusive interview with Kurdistan 24, that is set to be aired on Tuesday night, the newly inaugurated UK Consul General Rosy Cave, in her first appearance on Kurdish media, discussed the latest developments concerning Erbil-London bilateral relations, Britain’s support for the KRG reform program as well as security, education and economic cooperations.

The Kurdish region has come under attack by numerous rounds of missiles and kamikaze drones in recent years, some of which had fallen on residential areas, causing civilian casualties.

In one attack last year by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on alleged positions of Kurdish opposition groups based in the Region, at least 16 people were killed by a salvo of ballistic missiles. 

Also, in early 2022, the Iranian military fired a barrage of missiles, targeting the home of one of the Region's top oil executives, causing significant material damages but no casualties. 

The IRGC later said it had hit a "Zionist center" in a reference to the house. The Iraqi parliamentary investigations found no evidence of any Israeli affiliations to the targeted place. 

Condemning the attacks, Kurdish officials have previously said they would not allow the Region to be a threat to its neighboring countries.