Drone crashes near Bai Hassan oil field, no damage reported

KIRKUK — A drone crashed Tuesday near the Bai Hassan oil field in Kirkuk governorate’s Dubz district, according to local officials and military sources.

A 964media correspondent said the drone fell just outside the perimeter of the Bai Hassan site, one of the largest oil-producing fields in the region.

A military official from the Iraqi Army told 964media that forces responded after being alerted to the crash. “We arrived at the scene and determined that the drone went down on its own and caused no damage,” the source said. “The location where it crashed is far from the oil field.” He added that an investigation is underway to determine whether the site was the intended target.

The Bai Hassan field spans a large area and contains an estimated 200 oil wells. It currently produces approximately 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions following a wave of drone strikes on energy infrastructure in the Kurdistan Region. On Monday night, two drones struck the Khurmala oil field near Erbil, damaging water pipelines. A separate attack early Tuesday hit the Sarsang oil field in Duhok, igniting a fire and prompting HKN Energy to suspend operations.

On Wednesday morning, three more drones struck the Peshkhabour and Tawke fields in Zakho — both operated by Norwegian firm DNO — and the HKN-operated Baadre field in Sheikhan district. DNO confirmed temporary production halts and material damage but reported no injuries.