Security

Drone strikes highlight perils of Turkey-PKK war for Iraqi Kurdistan

Increasingly frequent attacks deep inside KRG territory pose danger for civilians and underscore challenges for diplomacy.

Residents of Sulaimaniya protest against a drone attack that hit the vicinity of the Sulaimaniya airport in April 2023. (AKO RASHEED/Reuters)

Aug 9, 2023

Fractious Iranian Kurdish dissidents pose challenge for KRG stability

A splintering of opposition groups in Iraqi Kurdistan is complicating efforts to meet Iranian demands for secure borders in order to avoid more drone and missile attacks.

Mar 5, 2023

Iraq increases training of Hashid paramilitary officers

Rising investment of military resources signals enduring power of politically connected armed groups.

Jan 14, 2023

Drone attack signals ongoing threat to Khor Mor

Friday's attack did not cause damage, but it did highlight unresolved security risks to a gas field responsible for most of Kurdistan's electricity feedstock.

Dec 5, 2022

Iran’s cross-border attacks continue as dissident groups remain defiant

Joint Erbil-Baghdad talks to improve border policing have so far failed to answer Tehran’s concerns about dissident groups in Iraqi Kurdistan allegedly supporting Iran’s protest movement.

Nov 13, 2022

Smuggling bust unravels into scandal of murder and political intrigue

An oil smuggling ring was stealing thousands of barrels per day from a pipeline in Basra. The true contours of the conspiracy remain a mystery.

Oct 20, 2022

Widening Turkey-PKK conflict presents new risks for Iraqi Kurdistan

Turkey has long targeted Kurdish separatist bases in the remote Qandil mountains, but recent cross-border strikes are also hitting near population centers.

Sep 29, 2022

Iran strikes opposition targets deep in Iraqi Kurdistan

As protesters in Iran denounce the government, Iran's military escalates its cross-border campaign against Kurdish parties accused of supporting the unrest.

Aug 30, 2022

UPDATE: Civil unrest raises risks for oil sector

As political crisis and escalating violence threaten the stability of the state, followers of Sadr have also started protests at some oil fields.

Aug 16, 2022

Armed protesters demand oil jobs, sparking deadly gunfire

A 19-year-old was killed at a demonstration near Kurdistan's Akri Bijeel oil field.

Aug 9, 2022

Public anger combusts at violent oil field protests

Sunday's clashes at the Halfaya field left 18 security officers injured — highlighting the volatile consequences of government paralysis amidst failing services and high unemployment.

Jul 26, 2022

Rocket strike causes fire at Khor Mor gas field

Four attacks in two months have targeted the gas field, which provides the vast majority of the feedstock for Iraqi Kurdistan’s electricity supply.

Jul 23, 2022

Zakho attack on tourists strains Iraq-Turkey relations

Baghdad blames Ankara for a deadly strike on civilians, raising tensions as a potentially game-changing international arbitration ruling looms.

Jun 25, 2022

Third attack hits Khor Mor gas field

The gas field providing feedstock for most of Kurdistan’s electricity has come under rocket or mortar fire three times in four days.

Jun 24, 2022

Khor Mor gas field attacked again

For the second time in three days, Kurdistan's lynchpin gas field came under attack, during a time of rising political tension in Baghdad.

Jun 23, 2022

Rocket attack targets Khor Mor gas field

The latest strike on the KRG's energy sector narrowly missed gas facilities that provide most of Kurdistan's electricity feedstock.

May 23, 2022

Deadly hemorrhagic fever outbreak hits Iraq

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever has killed at least 18 people this year as health authorities warn of an increasing spread and inadequate government response.

May 4, 2022

Another refinery attack signals rising threat

Sunday's rocket strike on KAR Group's refinery complex in Erbil damaged a storage tank and highlighted increasing security risks for Iraqi Kurdistan's critical energy infrastructure.

Apr 12, 2022

Attack hits near Kurdistan’s export pipeline

An explosion Sunday night in the vicinity of a pumping station highlights potential vulnerabilities of key energy infrastructure.

Apr 7, 2022

Rocket attack misses Kurdistan refinery complex but raises security concerns

Just three weeks after Iranian ballistic missiles destroyed the house of the head of KAR Group, a rocket attack appeared to target the company's refinery complex.

Mar 16, 2022

Iranian missiles destroy house of prominent Kurdish oil businessman

The IRGC says it was targeting Israeli interests in Erbil, but the main victim of the 12-missile barrage appears to have been the private residence of the CEO of KAR Group, who has no known ties to Israel.

Feb 23, 2022

Dhi Qar unrest raises oil sector risks

Protesters are threatening to shut down the Nassiriya field, and deadly violence has caused one American company to suspend oil operations in the province.

Jan 25, 2022

KRG resumes Syria crude trade

After more than a month, the border has reopened for both trade and humanitarian traffic, alleviating economic pressure on a U.S. ally in the counter-IS fight.