French ambassador condemns Khor Mor attack, reaffirms support for Iraq and Kurdistan Region

ERBIL — French Ambassador to Iraq Patrick Durel on Thursday condemned the drone strike on the Khor Mor gas complex, calling the attack a threat to infrastructure that serves the broader population.

“I strongly condemn last night’s attack on the Khor Mor gas facilities. Energy infrastructure benefits the entire population. France reaffirms its commitment to the security of Iraq as a whole, and of Kurdistan within it,” Durel said in a statement posted on X.

The ambassador’s remarks follow Wednesday night’s drone strike on the Emirati-operated Khor Mor gas field in Sulaymaniyah’s Chamchamal district. The attack ignited a gas storage tank, halted operations, and caused a loss of up to 3,000 megawatts of power — approximately 80% of the Kurdistan Region’s grid, according to regional electricity officials. Major outages were reported in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and other cities.

No group has claimed responsibility for the strike, which occurred around 11:30 p.m. local time. It is the latest in a series of unclaimed drone and rocket attacks on the facility. A drone strike in April 2024 killed four Yemeni workers. Other attacks were recorded in February 2025 and during a wave of strikes on Kurdish energy infrastructure in July.

Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani condemned the drone strike and demanded action from both Baghdad and international partners to prevent repeat attacks. “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.

During a phone call, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and PM Barzani agreed to establish a joint investigation committee to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.