KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani
KRG PM Masrour Barzani says Khor Mor gas production to restart within hours
ERBIL — Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said late Saturday that gas production at the Khor Mor field will resume within hours, thanking residents for their patience after days of blackouts and urging Baghdad to hold those behind the attack fully accountable.
“I want to thank the Kurdistani people for their patience and resilience following the terror attack on the Kurdistan Region’s gas infrastructure a few days ago,” Barzani said in a written statement. He said people across the region had “condemned this attack as an attack against every citizen, cutting power to millions of people in the Kurdistan Region and the rest of Iraq.”
Barzani said the KRG has reached an agreement with operator Dana Gas to restart operations and restore electricity supplies. “Tonight, we have agreed with Dana Gas to restart production in the next several hours to restore electricity,” he said, adding that he spoke with the company’s leadership to thank them and their staff “for their extraordinary resilience and determination amid eleven attacks on the Khor Mor field.”
The Khor Mor gas field in Chamchamal district supplies much of the natural gas used to generate electricity across the Kurdistan Region. A drone strike late Wednesday hit storage facilities at the complex, forcing a full shutdown that officials said cut an estimated 2,600 to 3,000 megawatts from the grid and caused widespread blackouts in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and other areas. Regional and federal leaders, along with foreign governments and international organizations, have condemned the attack and backed the ongoing joint investigative committee.
He said the regional government would work with federal authorities and foreign partners both to pursue those responsible and to strengthen defenses around the site. “I have assured them that the KRG will do all it can with partners in the federal government to hold the perpetrators accountable and prevent further terror attacks,” Barzani said. “In parallel, we are working with our international partners to secure the capabilities necessary to protect our people, critical infrastructure and investments.”
Barzani warned that the latest strike cannot be treated as a routine incident. “This incident cannot be allowed to pass without public accountability. It cannot become the norm,” he said. He accused those behind the attack of being unable to accept the region’s progress and prosperity, saying “the adversaries and hired fixers could not fathom the progress of the Kurdistan Region or the well-being of its people. They instead resorted to cowardly, inhumane acts and plunged the public into darkness.”
The prime minister said he has pressed Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to ensure a serious response. “I have urged Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani to hold the perpetrators of this attack accountable to the full extent of the law, whoever they may be and wherever they are,” he said. “Iraq cannot attract investment when militias, mafias, the corrupt, and armed groups outside of the state’s control willingly bomb national infrastructure and investments at zero cost and find satisfaction in the suffering of the people of the Kurdistan Region. We condemn the individuals and groups that have celebrated this situation.”
Barzani also praised technical and security teams who have worked at the field since the strike. “We thank the technical teams from both KRG ministries of Natural Resources and Electricity, and the security services, for their hard work in the field over the last few days,” he said.