
Drone targets Duhok oil field operated by US film
Top Foxtrot member arrested in Erbil: Swedish media
KRG approves 'understanding' with Baghdad on budget issues
President Barzani, Estonian defense minister discuss defense ties, regional developments
KRG cabinet to address financial crisis amid new round of meetings with Baghdad
A+ A-
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An oil field operated by an American company in Duhok province was targeted by an explosive-laden drone for the second time on Wednesday amid increased attacks on Kurdistan Region's oil sector.
The Erbil-based Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD), also known as Kurdistan CT, said in a statement on Facebook that an oil field located in Duhok province's Shekhan district was struck with an explosive-laden drone at 7:10 pm, local time.
'Apart from material damage, there were no casualties,' added the CTD.
The oil field, operated by the American Hunt Oil, came under another drone attack earlier on Wednesday.
Kurdistan Region's natural resources ministry confirmed the attack, adding that the recent attacks on Kurdistan Region's oil sector has caused a "significant material loss." It condemned the attacks and reiterated its call on the federal government to take action to stop these attacks.
Several other drone attacks were reported in Duhok province on the same day.
#BREAKING: A suspected drone attack targets an oil field in Duhok province's Shekhan district - Rudaw reporter pic.twitter.com/hJ5Do1oHap
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) July 16, 2025
Kurdistan Region's authorities have condemned the repeated drone attacks, urging the federal government in Baghdad to take urgent measures to prevent further attacks and bring those responsible to justice.
Drone strikes in the Kurdistan Region have increased since the outbreak of a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran that began on June 13 and ended with a US-brokered ceasefire.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, the Region's interior ministry in early July accused the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) of involvement - a charge dismissed by Baghdad as 'unacceptable.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Rudaw Net
3 hours ago
- Rudaw Net
Yazidi commander says hand Shingal security over to Peshmerga
Also in Iraq Suspected Anfal executioner had plastic surgery to avoid detection Water level plummets in Iraq's largest dam Amnesty urges Iraq's parliament to reject controversial free speech bill Iraqi parliament to vote on controversial protest bill A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Yazidi commander on Friday called for Kurdish Peshmerga forces to be put in charge of security in the Yazidi-majority Shingal (Sinjar) district of northern Iraq where multiple armed groups and forces operate, impeding the return of thousands of residents who fled when the Islamic State (ISIS) attacked 11 years ago. 'Until Shingal's security file is handed over to the Peshmerga, the multiple forces and security problems will continue and the displaced will not trust to return to their homeland, and life in Shingal will not normalize,' Haider Shasho, commander of the Ezidikhan Protection Forces that are a Yazidi division within the Kurdistan Region's Peshmerga Ministry, told Rudaw. In 2020, the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) signed the Shingal Agreement to restore governance, security, and stability to the district and resolve a number of issues that have prevented the return of its inhabitants. Under that deal, Baghdad was to assume responsibility for security, expelling all armed groups and establishing a new armed force recruited from the local population. The agreement has never been fully implemented and thousands of Yazidis are still unable to return home. 'There are many conspiracies against Shingal and there are political parties in Iraq conspiring against Shingal. That's why the Shingal Agreement has not been implemented until now and the crisis and problems of the district remain ongoing,' Shasho said, calling on international actors to intervene and exert pressure on Baghdad to implement the deal. Shingal is part of the disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil. The areas stretch across several provinces, including Nineveh, Diyala, Salahaddin, and Kirkuk. Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, which remains unimplemented, provides a process for the KRG and the federal government to settle their disputes. 'We wish that if Shingal's security file is not handed over to the Peshmerga, at least those Peshmerga who are Yazidis should have their duties transferred to Shingal,' Shasho suggested, explaining that 'would provide important psychological assistance' to the Yazidis, 'most of whom are displaced and living in camps.' The Yazidis are an ethnoreligious group in northern Iraq that were subjected to countless heinous atrocities, including forced marriages, sexual violence, and massacres when ISIS captured the city in 2014, bringing destruction to many villages and towns populated by the minority group and committing genocide. They were forced to flee to displacement camps, mainly in the Kurdistan Region. Political disputes over the region between Baghdad and Erbil, as well as the presence of armed groups like the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), have disrupted reconstruction of the city that suffered heavy destruction during the war against ISIS. International actors, such as the United Nations and the United States, have repeatedly called on Iraqi and Kurdish authorities to implement the agreement and 'break the political deadlock' in the city. Shasho said the PKK forces in Shingal 'should also lay down their arms' after the group dissolved itself and announced it was ending its decades-long armed conflict with Turkey. 'While the PKK is recognized as a banned organization in Iraq and has now dissolved itself, its armed members continue in Shingal and the Iraqi government supports them,' Shasho claimed. The Yazidi Shingal Resistance Units (YBS) and Ezidkhan Asayish were formed by the PKK to oust ISIS. They control parts of the district. The PKK and its proxies have rejected the Shingal Agreement. Nwenar Fatih contributed to this report.


Rudaw Net
15 hours ago
- Rudaw Net
Iran faces condemnation for prisoner amputations
A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A human rights watchdog reported a series of abuses in Iran during July, including the execution of at least four people and the amputation of the fingers of three prisoners, a punishment described as "torture" by a United Nations expert. 'At least four individuals were executed in Iran during July,' the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) said on Friday in its monthly report. On Thursday, 'Iranian authorities amputated the fingers of three prisoners,' it added. The three, identified as Hadi Rostami, Mehdi Sharifian, and Mehdi Shahivand, each had four fingers on their right hand amputated using a guillotine, leaving their thumbs and palms intact, according to KHRN. The judiciary confirmed the punishment was carried out. 'Due to the lack of cooperation of the convicts, the verdict to amputate the hands of these three professional thieves was implemented after the legal procedures in the Prosecutor's Office, Criminal Court 1, and with final approval and certainty in the Supreme Court, taking into account all religious and legal measures,' the judiciary's media site Mizan stated on Thursday. The amputation of hands is a prescribed punishment for thieves in Islamic Sharia law. Iran's penal code has a number of conditions for amputation sentences, including that the individual being punished is sane, not coerced, and did not commit the crime at a time of famine. The punishment has drawn condemnation. UN special rapporteur Mai Sato expressed deep concern in a post on X on Thursday, calling it 'a flagrant violation of fundamental human rights' that constitutes torture and 'cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.' KHRN also reported that a number of death sentences were handed down in July and 'at least five kolbars were shot and killed and four others were wounded by Iranian border guards.' Kolbars are semi-legal porters who carry goods on their backs across the Kurdistan Region border into Iran. Many Kurds are driven into the trade by poverty. The Oslo-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported that 'twelve kolbars were killed or injured' in July.


Rudaw Net
17 hours ago
- Rudaw Net
Amnesty urges Iraq's parliament to reject controversial free speech bill
Also in Iraq Iraqi parliament to vote on controversial protest bill Iraq arrests accused Anfal executioner Kirkuk court hands suspended sentence to Kurdish villager over disputed land Baghdad may waive oil shortfall blocking June budget transfers to Erbil: KRG source A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Amnesty International on Friday urged Iraqi lawmakers to reject a controversial freedom of expression bill that is scheduled to be put to a vote on Saturday, warning it could be used to restrict protests and limit free speech. 'Lawmakers must vote against or propose amendments to any laws that would add to the arsenal of tools that the authorities are already using to restrict civic space or betray Iraq's constitutional and international commitments to protect freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly,' said Razaw Salihy, Amnesty International's Iraq researcher. The bill would criminalize hate speech and insults to religious sects, ban nighttime protests, and restrict gatherings near hospitals, schools, and government buildings. The parliament's human rights committee has called for amendments or removal of numerous sections. Salihy warned that unofficial drafts reviewed by civil society groups suggest the law could lead to violations of the rights to free expression and peaceful assembly. She also criticized the lack of transparency surrounding the bill, saying it is being 'surreptitiously snuck through in a shroud of secrecy' and with 'no public debate.' The bill defines peaceful demonstration as a lawful public gathering to express opinions or demand rights, requiring prior approval from local authorities at least five days in advance. Denied requests for a demonstration can be appealed through the courts. Salihy warned that activists and journalists in Iraq face increasing repression, with arrests, harassment, and intimidation severely undermining free speech.