Five drones shot down over Erbil without casualties, authorities say

ERBIL — Coalition forces intercepted and shot down five explosive drones over Erbil on Friday morning, according to the Kurdistan Region’s Directorate General of Counter Terrorism.

The agency said the incident occurred between 9:32 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. local time, when coalition forces operating in Erbil destroyed the drones before they reached their intended destination. According to the statement, the drones approached from the western part of Erbil governorate.

The agency said the drones were brought down without causing any casualties. The statement did not identify who launched the drones.

The latest interceptions are part of a series of drone attacks targeting the Kurdistan Region this month. Earlier on Wednesday, six fighters from Komala, an Iranian Kurdish opposition party, were wounded when an attack hit the group’s camp in the Doli Alana area of Khalifan district, a party source told 964media.

On last Friday, seven missiles struck three locations in Sulaymaniyah governorate, killing nine members of Komala. Later that day a suspected suicide drone hit a Peshmerga ammunition depot near Tasluja, setting off a large fire and secondary explosions. On Saturday, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan President Bafel Talabani said Sulaymaniyah had been struck by ballistic missiles launched from Iran and condemned the attacks as violations of international law.

The attacks come amid renewed fighting between the United States and Iran after a fragile June ceasefire unraveled. Over the past weeks, 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. The report recorded 22 people killed and 112 injured. Those killed included 10 people affiliated with Iranian Kurdish opposition groups and 12 civilians, members of Iraqi Kurdish security forces and other non-belligerents.