KDP bloc calls for emergency session in parliament as drone strikes escalate in Kurdistan Region

BAGHDAD — The Kurdistan Democratic Party bloc in Iraq’s parliament on Thursday called for an emergency session to address a wave of drone strikes that have targeted oil facilities and infrastructure across the Kurdistan Region.

Over the first 17 days of July, more than 15 explosive-laden drones have been launched toward the region, with most strikes targeting airports, Peshmerga positions, and critical energy infrastructure. The pace of attacks has accelerated in recent days, particularly since July 15, with a growing concentration on oil fields in Duhok and Erbil governorates.

“In light of the unjust economic pressures facing the Kurdistan Region, the past few days have seen a series of terrorist drone attacks targeting vital facilities, including infrastructure, oil refineries, and energy sources,” the KDP parliamentary bloc said in a statement. “This represents a dangerous escalation affecting Iraq’s sovereignty, security, and stability, and threatens its economic lifeline with severe losses.”

The bloc warned that those behind the attacks “are clearly not acting out of patriotism, but rather pursuing suspicious agendas that serve narrow interests at the expense of the Iraqi people and their unity.”

It urged the federal government to meet its constitutional responsibility to ensure national security, “take decisive steps to stop these attacks,” and identify and prosecute those responsible. The bloc also called for parliament to convene an emergency session “to discuss these dangerous developments and review the government’s actions regarding them.”

No group has claimed responsibility for the recent wave of attacks. However, earlier this month the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Interior accused factions affiliated with Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces of orchestrating a coordinated campaign of drone strikes to destabilize the region.

In a post on X, Aziz Ahmad, deputy chief of staff to KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, said, “The Kurdistan Region has lost nearly 200,000 barrels of oil production after a spate of drone attacks by criminal militias on the Iraqi government payroll.”

On Wednesday night, the U.S. Department of State issued a strong condemnation. “These attacks imperil Iraq’s stability and economic future,” spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement, calling the targeting of international energy companies “unacceptable” and emphasizing that the Iraqi government “has a duty to protect its territory and all of its citizens.”