Iraq must not become ‘arena for conflicts’, says President Amedi

BAGHDAD — Iraqi President Nizar Amedi on Saturday condemned the attacks targeting the Kurdistan Region’s Erbil and Sulaymaniyah governorates, saying any strike on Iraqi territory is “an unacceptable violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.”

“We condemn the attacks that targeted the cities of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, and affirm that targeting Iraqi territory under any pretext represents an unacceptable violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and threatens the security of its citizens and its stability,” Amedi said in a post on X.

Amedi added that “Iraq rejects being an arena for conflicts or a field for settling regional tensions,” and said the country remains committed to “relations based on mutual respect and good neighborliness in a manner that preserves the sovereignty of states and keeps the region away from further escalation and instability.”

The statement came after a series of drone incidents across the Kurdistan Region on Friday night amid rising tensions between Iran and the United States.

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 incident prompted nearby families to evacuate their homes over concerns of additional explosions. Another explosion was also heard in different parts of the city later.

In Erbil, coalition forces shot down five bomb-laden drones on Friday night, the Kurdistan Region’s Directorate General of Counter-Terrorism said. The directorate said the drones were intercepted between 9:58 p.m. and 10:06 p.m. over the city, with no casualties or injuries reported.

No group has claimed the attacks, which come amid renewed fighting between the United States and Iran after a fragile June ceasefire unraveled. Over the past week, U.S. forces struck Iranian military targets following attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran launched missiles and drones at U.S. facilities in several Gulf countries.

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.