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Japan Today
5 hours ago
- Business
- Japan Today
Drone attacks on oil fields in Iraq's Kurdish region shut down facilities
This is a locator map for Iraq with its capital, Baghdad. (AP Photo) By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Drones targeted oil fields in Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region Wednesday, the latest in a series of attacks in recent days that have put several oil facilities out of commission. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which have exacerbated tensions between the central government in Baghdad and Kurdish authorities. The Kurdish region's anti-terrorism department said two drones attacked an oil field in the district of Zakho, causing damage but no injuries. DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas company operating the field, said its operations were temporarily suspended following three explosions involving a small storage tank at Tawke and surface processing equipment at Peshkabir. It said there were no injuries, and a damage assessment was underway. Hours later, the anti-terrorism department said the Baadre oil field, located in the Sheikhan district of Dohuk province, was targeted by a drone strike. There were no injuries. Videos showed a plume of smoke rising over barren hills. The attacks came a day after another oil field in Dohuk province operated by a U.S. company was set ablaze, also after being struck by a drone. The Kurdish region's Ministry of Natural Resources said the attacks were meant "to disrupt the economy of the Kurdistan region and threaten the safety of civilian employees of the energy sector,' and called for federal authorities to intervene to stop them. Iraqi oil industry expert Hamza al-Jawahiri said the targeting of oil fields in the Kurdish region would not affect global oil prices and that oil production in southern Iraq is sufficient to compensate for any resulting shortage. The fields in northern Iraq produce around 500,000 barrels per day. Al-Jawahiri said the primary losers would be the companies operating the fields, which are working under partnership contracts. Earlier this month, the Kurdish regional government accused the Popular Mobilization Forces — a coalition of Iran-allied militias that are officially under the control of the Iraqi military — of carrying out drone attacks. The Iraqi army said the accusation was 'issued in the absence of evidence' and said it could 'provide hostile parties with justifications to undermine Iraq's stability.' Iran-backed armed groups have periodically attacked U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria. During last month's Israel-Iran war, some of them threatened to target U.S. interests and bases in the region if Washington got involved. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Rudaw Net
6 hours ago
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Oil companies condemn attacks on Kurdistan Region fields
Also in Kurdistan Drone targets Duhok oil field operated by US firm 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 A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Oil companies operating in the Kurdistan Region on Wednesday condemned the ongoing drone attacks on the Region's oil fields, calling on Erbil and Baghdad to investigate the strikes. 'APIKUR members strongly condemn these attacks on our commercial oil production sites. These attacks have damaged multiple sites for APIKUR member companies, and these attacks are threatening our Iraqi workforce,' the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan's (APIKUR) Spokesperson Myles Caggins told Rudaw on Wednesday. 'We are calling on the government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government to conduct an immediate investigation, and we expect that the government will protect our companies' investments in Kurdistan Region,' he added. Several oil fields in the Kurdistan Region have been struck with explosive-laden drones in the last three days. At least four drone attacks were reported in Duhok province on Wednesday. US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told Rudaw on Wednesday that attacks on Kurdistan Region are 'unacceptable.' APIKUR later said in a statement that 'These attacks threatened the lives and safety of our predominantly Iraqi workforce and expatriate staff of various nationalities, and also damaged facilities.' Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline were halted in March 2023 following a ruling by a Paris-based arbitration court in favor of Baghdad, which claimed Ankara had violated a 1973 pipeline agreement by permitting Erbil to independently export oil starting in 2014. Caggins highlighted the ongoing talks between them and the Kurdish and Iraqi governments to resume the oil exports. 'Our member companies have been in continual discussions with the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government,' he said, reiterating their decision to have written guarantees before resuming the exports. Sangar Abdulrahman contributed to this article.
Washington Post
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Drone attacks on oil fields in Iraq's Kurdish region shut down facilities
BAGHDAD — Drones targeted oil fields in Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region Wednesday, the latest in a series of attacks in recent days that have put several oil facilities out of commission. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which have exacerbated tensions between the central government in Baghdad and Kurdish authorities.
Shafaq News
8 hours ago
- Business
- Shafaq News
APIKUR urges action after attacks on Kurdistan oil production
hafaq News – Erbil The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) condemned a series of attacks targeting oil production sites operated by its member companies in the Kurdistan Region. In a statement, APIKUR said the strikes endangered the lives of both local and foreign staff and caused damage to key infrastructure, adding that member companies are currently assessing the extent of damage to production and field operations. In response to the attacks, most APIKUR-affiliated firms—regardless of whether they were directly targeted—have suspended production. The group called on both the Iraqi and Kurdish governments to bolster security at oil facilities to 'ensure the safety and security of our staff and facilities.' Oil installations in the Kurdistan Region have come under repeated drone attacks in recent days, including strikes that continued into Wednesday evening. Authorities have not yet identified the party responsible for the assaults. The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan strongly condemns attacks on oil production sites operated by APIKUR member companies in Iraq's Kurdistan Region on July 15 and July 16, attacks threatened the lives and safety of our predominantly Iraqi… — APIKUR (@apikur_oil) July 16, 2025
Al-Ahram Weekly
8 hours ago
- Business
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Drone attacks hit three north Iraq oil fields: Kurds - Region
Explosive-laden drones hit three oil fields in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region on Wednesday, Kurdish authorities said, a day after a similar attack halted operations at a facility run by a US company. Production at two fields operated by the Norwegian group DNO ASA was temporarily suspended, the company said Wednesday, while an industry coalition to which it belongs reported some of its members were instituting production cuts equivalent to 200,000 barrels a day. In the past few weeks, Kurdistan has seen a spate of unclaimed drone attacks, which have come as the regional government and the federal authorities in Baghdad wrangle over control of export revenues from the Kurdistan fields. Five oil fields in the region have been hit in the space of a week. Long plagued by conflict, Iraq frequently experiences such attacks, often linked to regional proxy struggles between Iran and the United States and its ally, Israel. The regional natural resources ministry said the latest attacks had caused "significant damage" and condemned them as acts of "terrorism". Early Wednesday, "two explosive-laden drones attacked" the Peshkabir oil field, while another struck the Tawke field in Zakho district, Kurdistan's counterterrorism services said. Both fields are operated by DNO ASA, which announced the suspension of operations following explosions, "one involving a small storage tank at Tawke and the other involving surface processing equipment at Peshkabir". At 7:14 am (0414 GMT), another attack targeted an oil field operated by the US firm Hunt Oil in Duhok province, without causing casualties or damage. Twelve hours later, another drone attacked the same field. Suspension There has been no claim of responsibility for any of the past week's attacks, and Baghdad has promised an investigation to identify the culprits. A similar attack on Tuesday forced US firm HKN Energy to suspend operations at the Sarsang field in Dohuk province. On Monday, two drones hit the Khurmala field, while another was shot down near the airport in the regional capital Arbil. Politicians close to the Kurdish authorities have blamed pro-Iran groups for the attacks, without offering evidence. The attacks come amid persistent tensions between the regional authorities and Baghdad over oil revenues, and legal disputes and technical problems have kept an export pipeline to Turkey shut since 2023. The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) -- which represents international oil firms in the region, including DNO, HKN and Hunt -- condemned the attacks on its members' production sites. The majority of its members, "including those not targeted, have announced suspension of production totalling over 200,000 barrels per day", it said in a statement. The companies "are committed to resume oil production and sales as soon as possible", APIKUR spokesman Myles B. Caggins III said. "We stand ready to put our oil into the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline once agreement is reached between Baghdad, Erbil and the companies," he added. Iraqi Kurdistan presents itself as a relative oasis of stability in a volatile Iraq, attracting foreign investors due to its close ties with the United States and European countries. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
