Drone downed on outskirts of Sulaymaniyah

Forces of Unit 70 under the Ministry of Peshmerga recorded an incident late Thursday night in which a drone flying near military sites in Sulaymaniyah province, Southern Kurdistan, was shot down, according to Major General Ahmed Latif, the spokesperson of the forces.

Major General Latif explained that the drone was intercepted over Unit 70’s headquarters on the outskirts of Sulaymaniyah, without causing any casualties. He added that appropriate measures were taken at the site.

Today’s incident comes as part of a series of operations in recent days. The forces previously shot down two other drones, one in the Tasluja area and another near Unit 70’s base.

The drone’s origin and the entity behind its launch remain unknown, though reports indicate it crashed in a remote area near the command center without causing damage. Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to monitor the situation and secure targeted areas.

Since the beginning of July, the pace of attacks on Southern Kurdistan has increased, with drones and rockets used in multiple operations targeting vital facilities and cities in the region.

On July 1, Iraq’s state news agency reported the fall of two Katyusha rockets on the Kirkuk airbase in Southern Kurdistan; one landed between the runways, while the other struck a house in the Al-Uruba neighborhood in Kirkuk province. No casualties or material losses were reported.

On July 2, two drones were shot down on the same day, one in the Tasluja area and the other outside the Unit 70 base, with official sources confirming no injuries or fatalities.

That same night, the Baiji oil refinery came under attack by more than ten explosive drones, though the incident caused no major losses or noticeable material damage.

On July 3, a drone carrying two missiles crashed around midday in the village of Said Marila in the Kokes sub-district, near the administrative border of Kifri in the Garmiyan administration. The missiles did not explode.

According to reports, the drone fell in an area far from residential zones and there was no explosion. No human or material damage was recorded.

Later that same day, another drone crashed on Airport Street in southern Kirkuk near the Badr neighborhood. Meanwhile, the Counter-Terrorism Forces in the Federal Region of Southern Kurdistan announced that they had intercepted an explosive drone near Howler International Airport.

The Howler Airport Authority confirmed that flight operations continued as usual, with only one plane delayed in landing and no damage reported to the airport.

These repeated operations reflect a significant escalation in drone and missile attacks and raise concerns about the continuing deterioration of the security situation, as institutions struggle to respond to threats targeting vital infrastructure and strategic cities.

A-H 

ANHA