ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A drone was shot down over the Koya district in eastern Erbil province early Saturday, before reaching its intended target, according to local officials and Kurdish opposition figures, as a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran continues to hold.
Koya, particularly Azadi Camp, which houses families of Peshmerga members from the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) - has been repeatedly targeted in recent weeks. The latest confirmed strike occurred on Thursday, when five drones hit the camp and surrounding areas.
Kawa Bahrami, a senior KDPI member, confirmed the latest incident, telling Rudaw that “the drone was shot down around 1:30 am this morning. As far as we are aware, it came down in the Koya plains, far from the [KDPI] camp.”
Hama Nazif Qaderi, a member of the KDPI leadership council, also dismissed reports that the group’s positions had been targeted, stating that their areas were not subjected to any bombardment overnight or into Saturday morning.
The incident comes amid a tenuous ceasefire following the US-Iran conflict that erupted in late February, when the United States and Israel launched a large-scale aerial campaign against Iran, reportedly striking more than 17,000 sites over six weeks.