KRG, Kurdistan Region Presidency condemn drone attack on UAE consulate

ERBIL — The Kurdistan Region Presidency and the Kurdistan Regional Government condemned a drone attack Saturday on the UAE Consulate General in Erbil that wounded two security guards and damaged the building, the second such strike in a week.

The Kurdistan Region Presidency called on Baghdad to protect diplomatic missions. “We emphasize the necessity for the Iraqi government to uphold its responsibility to safeguard diplomatic representatives, prevent the recurrence of such attacks, and identify and hold accountable those responsible,” it said.

The KRG condemned the attack alongside “any attack targeting the territory and institutions of the Kurdistan Region, and consulates and diplomatic missions,” describing such incidents as a “blatant violation of international law and the sovereignty of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.”

It urged federal authorities to act against armed groups responsible for the strikes. “The federal government must assume its legal responsibility and set clear limits on the outlaw forces, groups, and militias that have become a real threat to the people of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as a whole,” the KRG said.

The UAE earlier condemned the attack, with its Foreign Ministry calling it a “flagrant violation of all international norms and laws” and urging Baghdad and Erbil to investigate and hold perpetrators accountable. A drone landed near the consulate compound in a previous strike Monday.

The Kurdistan Region has faced at least 200 drone, missile and rocket attacks since the war between the United States, Israel and Iran began Feb. 28, killing four people and injuring 19, according to Community Peacemaker Teams – Iraqi Kurdistan. The IRGC and Iran-aligned armed groups have claimed responsibility for many of the strikes, which have hit military installations, diplomatic facilities, airports, oil sites and residential areas across Erbil and Sulaymaniyah governorates.