Overnight drone strikes in Erbil, Duhok and Kirkuk confirmed

NEWSROOM — Three explosive-laden drones crashed early Monday in Erbil, Duhok and Kirkuk governorates without causing casualties, according to local authorities and residents.

The first drone fell at 5:50 a.m. in the Rizgari subdistrict of Khabat district, west of Erbil, the Kurdistan Region’s Directorate General of Counter Terrorism said in a brief statement. “Fortunately, there were no human losses,” the statement read. A civilian who shared video footage of the crash site said the drone came down “above a café.”

A second drone crashed several kilometers away in a farming area near Kawrasor village in Bardarash district, Duhok governorate. The two crash sites lie on opposite sides of the Little Zab River. No group has claimed responsibility for either incident.

The third drone went down in Hiyawe village in Hawija district, Kirkuk governorate. A source from the Hawija police told 964media that a local farmer discovered the device in his field early Monday and reported it to authorities. “The drone did not explode. It seems it was out of fuel, which is likely why it fell,” the source said. Police later recovered the drone, which caused no damage.

“At 5:25 a.m., I heard the sound of an aircraft over the district,” said Riyaz Tai, a resident of Hawija. “I believe it was that drone.”

Multiple explosive-laden drones struck oil infrastructure across the Kurdistan Region earlier this month, temporarily halting production at five oil fields, including two operated by U.S. companies. The attacks occurred in Sheikhan and Chamanke districts of Duhok governorate and in Bahrka, Erbil governorate, taking more than 200,000 barrels per day offline.

Aziz Ahmed, deputy chief of staff to Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, said those drones were launched from Dibis district in Kirkuk. “The suicide drones that targeted oil fields in the Kurdistan Region last week flew from Dibis, Kirkuk,” he posted on X. Ahmed added, “We know exactly who’s behind these attacks and where they’re coming from.”