Suspected drone crashes in Erbil’s Soran, sparking fire

ERBIL — An object suspected to be a drone crashed near Badilyan village in Soran Autonomous Administration, Erbil governorate, around midnight, setting fire to grassland, according to information from the scene.

The object made a loud noise when it crashed that was heard across several areas of Soran.

The fire broke out about one kilometer from a populated area. Civil Defense teams, assisted by local residents, contained the blaze before it could spread. No casualties were reported.

No party has claimed responsibility for the suspected drone, and Kurdistan Region security agencies have not issued a statement on the incident.

Ten days ago, two explosive drones struck the private office of Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and the home of the head of the Parastin intelligence agency in Pirmam district, the Kurdistan Region’s Counter-Terrorism Directorate said. No one was hurt. Barzani attributed the attack to Iran, calling it “a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region” and saying the attacks would not deter the government from its work.

The latest incident follows months of repeated drone and missile strikes across the Kurdistan Region targeting security and energy sites, diplomatic facilities, civilian areas and camps belonging to Iranian Kurdish opposition groups.

During the previous phase of the regional conflict before a June ceasefire, Community Peacemaker Teams–Iraqi Kurdistan documented 751 attacks across the Kurdistan Region between late February and late May, attributing them to Iran and Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups. The organization recorded 22 people killed and 112 wounded, including members of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups, civilians and Kurdish security personnel.