Drone strikes Peshmerga ammunition depot near Sulaymaniyah

SULAYMANIYAH — A suspected suicide drone struck a Peshmerga ammunition depot near Tasluja on the outskirts of Sulaymaniyah on Friday evening, setting off a large fire and a series of secondary explosions, according to videos shared by local residents and a statement from the governor.

The attack came at about 8:45 p.m. Videos circulating on social media showed flames engulfing the site while Peshmerga forces appeared to fire at drones overhead. Footage recorded at the scene showed one drone striking the depot, igniting a fire followed by several further explosions from inside the facility. There was no immediate official information on casualties or the extent of the damage.

Sulaymaniyah Governor Haval Abubakir condemned the attack, saying the governorate “strongly condemns the attacks against the city of Sulaymaniyah and Kurdistan.” He said “the Kurdistan Region and the Sulaymaniyah local government are neutral and responsible and are not party to the war engulfing the region.”

No group has claimed the attack. It comes hours after a missile strike killed nine members of the Iranian Kurdish opposition group Komala at its headquarters in the governorate, one of three locations hit by seven missiles on Friday, according to the Kurdistan Region Security Council. Drones were intercepted over Erbil on Wednesday night, prompting Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to order closer coordination between federal and Kurdistan Region security forces, and Dana Gas suspended production at the Khor Mor gas field on Thursday citing “credible security threats,” cutting 2,500 megawatts from the Region’s power supply.

Community Peacemaker Teams – Iraqi Kurdistan, which monitors security incidents in the region, documented 751 attacks across the Kurdistan Region between late February and late May, attributing them to Iran and Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups.