Iraq's skies violated: wave of mystery drones terrorizes northern provinces
The most alarming events unfolded over several key locations:
In Duhok province, the Kurdistan Region's Counter-Terrorism Service confirmed that a booby-trapped drone crashed in the Darkar district. The impact of what was described as an 'unknown projectile' reportedly caused a large fire at a school within the Darkar camp, creating panic in a vulnerable community.
In Salah al-Din province, the Qaimaqam (District Mayor) of Baiji confirmed that the North Refineries Company successfully intercepted drones that targeted the critical Baiji oil refinery, one of the country's most important pieces of infrastructure.
This follows a rocket attack in Kirkuk just hours earlier, which the governor linked to a preceding anti-ISIS operation, suggesting a possible pattern of retaliation that is now spilling into other provinces with more sophisticated drone technology.
These simultaneous incursions across a wide geographic area represent a significant and coordinated violation of Iraqi sovereignty. The fact that they are occurring after the declared ceasefire between Iran and Israel is particularly chilling for the Iraqi public.
The unanswered questions are fueling the anxiety: Who is operating these drones, and what is their objective? Are they non-state factions aiming to sabotage the peace deliberately? As Iraqi security forces scramble to respond, the nation holds its breath, fearing that the end of one war was merely the beginning of another, more ambiguous conflict fought in its own skies.
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