PM Barzani urges Baghdad to act after Khor Mor drone strike

ERBIL – Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Wednesday condemned a drone strike on the Khor Mor gas complex that halted power generation across the Kurdistan Region and demanded action from both Baghdad and international partners to prevent repeat attacks.

The strike hit around 11:30 p.m., targeting gas storage facilities at one of the region’s most critical energy sites in Chamchamal, Sulaymaniyah, and forcing an immediate shutdown of operations. Officials said the stoppage cut gas supplies to power stations and triggered widespread blackouts in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and other urban centers.

“I condemn the cowardly attack on the Khor Mor gas field in the strongest terms and urge the federal government to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” Barzani said in a statement posted on social media.

Regional electricity authorities said the attack caused an estimated 80 percent collapse in power generation, with approximately 2,600 to 3,000 megawatts lost from the grid. Footage shared online showed thick black smoke rising from the site as neighborhoods across the Kurdistan Region reported outages.

Barzani said the strike followed a pattern of repeated assaults on the field.

“The usual terrorists or whoever may be behind tonight’s attacks cannot be allowed to repeat these crimes or be released on bail, as in the past,” he said.

The Khor Mor complex supplies much of the natural gas that fuels power plants in the Kurdistan Region. It has come under fire several times in recent years. A drone attack in April 2024 killed four Yemeni workers and temporarily halted gas flows, causing widespread power cuts, while the field was also hit in February 2025 and during a series of strikes on Kurdish energy infrastructure in July.

In his latest statement, Barzani appealed directly to partners for help defending critical sites.

“I also urge our American and international partners to provide the defensive equipment necessary to protect our civilian infrastructure, and to support us in taking serious action to deter these attacks on our people and our progress,” he said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani later spoke with Barzani by phone and “strongly condemned” the Khor Mor strike, describing it as “an attack on all of Iraq,” according to a Kurdistan Regional Government statement. The two leaders agreed to establish a joint investigation committee to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.

No group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack.