ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said several drone attacks targeted various locations in the Kurdistan Region late Thursday despite the ongoing ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran.
“On Thursday, at several different times, several drone attacks were carried out on several different locations in the Kurdistan Region, which fortunately were destroyed and brought down,” read a Friday statement from the KRG’s interior ministry.
A total of 703 drones and missiles have been launched at the Kurdistan Region since the start of the US-Israel war against Iran on February 28, killing 17 people and wounding 92 others, according to the latest data compiled by Rudaw up to the announcement of the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran on Wednesday.
The attacks have largely been attributed to pro-Iran armed groups operating in Iraq, which have repeatedly targeted the Kurdistan Region alongside US interests since the outbreak of the war.
Despite the ceasefire agreement, several explosions were heard in the Kurdistan Region late Thursday and early Friday, with the interior ministry saying, “We emphasize support for peace and stability and call on all parties to end these attacks and no longer target Kurdistan's stability and citizens' interests.”
Kurdish leaders have repeatedly said the Region is not a party to the conflict and will not allow its territory to be used as a launchpad for attacks against neighboring countries, including Iran.
The truce, brokered through international mediation, includes a pause in military operations. Negotiations are set to begin in Islamabad on Saturday.