File image.
On June 22, a rocket fell near a gas complex in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region without causing any material losses or injures.
In a statement, the Directorate General of Counter Terrorism in Sulaymaniyah said that the rocket targeted the Khor Mor gas complex in the Chamchamal district which belongs to United Arab Emirates energy company Dana Gas.
The directorate said that the attack didn’t result in any “material damage or injuries”. After the attack, operations at the gas complex went on as usual.
Photos from the site of the attack show what appears to be the remains of a 107 mm rocket, possibly an Iranian-made Fadjr-1. The rocket has a range of 8.3 kilometers and a warhead weighting 7.9 kilograms.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which was not the first of its kind. On April 6, a rocket attack targeted an oil refinery in the district of Khabat in the Kurdistan Region. Iranian-made Arash-4 122 mm rockets were used in the attack. Later on May 1, Khabat refinery, which is run by the Kurdistan-based Kar Company, was targeted again with a barrage of 122 mm rockets. The attack failed, however.
The recent rocket attacks on oil and gas facilities in Kurdistan may be the result of a power struggle between key political and economic players in the autonomous region, or an attempt by pro-Iranian factions to pressure the Kurdistan government over some issues like the activities of Israeli and US intelligence in the region.
