Iraq’s Kurdish ministries of electricity and natural resources said Saturday they were working with partners to restore operations at the Khor Mor gas field in Iraq’s Kurdistan region after production was suspended following of a deadly attack by a drone.
At least four Yemeni workers were killed and two others injured in the attack late Friday, the Kurdish regional government said on X. It said gas supplies to power plants were also interrupted, which resulted in a reduction of around 2,500 MW in electricity production.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani both condemned the attack.
“Our security services must promptly investigate this incident and hold the perpetrators accountable. Preventive measures must also be taken immediately,” Rashid said in a message published on Saturday.
“The attacks on the energy centers that power millions of homes in the Kurdistan Region and Iraqi provinces are indefensible. These attacks also sabotage efforts by Erbil and Baghdad to develop the energy sector. They are occurring at a disturbing frequency and constitute war crimes,” Mr. Barzani said on Friday.
The US State Department said in a statement: “Such attacks constitute an affront to Iraq’s sovereignty.
Pearl Petroleum, a consortium of five companies including two major independent UAE oil and gas companies, Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum, owns the operating rights to Khor Mor and Chemchemal, two of Iraq’s largest gas fields.
Since Israel’s war in Gaza began in October, Iraq has been the scene of almost daily drone and rocket attacks, mainly targeting bases housing troops belonging to a US-led military coalition. United. These attacks were claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which brings together the hardest pro-Iranian militias.
Friday’s attack also highlights security concerns in the oil-rich country.
The Khor Mor gas field is close to Iraqi-controlled territories and Kirkuk province, one of the disputed territories between the Iraqi capital Baghdad and Erbil, the provincial capital of the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region. (Reporting by Adam Makary and Enas Alashray; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
