A drone attack struck the Khor Mor gasfield in northern Iraq on Sunday, sparking a fire and halting gas supplies to several regional power stations. Two security sources confirmed the target in the Chamchamal district of Sulaimaniyah province.
Regional officials stated that the disruption cut electricity generation in areas run by the Kurdistan Regional Government by up to 2,800 megawatts. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered a joint investigative committee with KRG authorities to find who was responsible.
No group claimed responsibility for the incident. KRG authorities have previously blamed Iran-backed groups in Iraq for past attacks on the energy facility. The strike occurred amid regional tensions stemming from the US-Israel war on Iran and domestic pressure on Baghdad to bring weapons under state control.
Mohammed Amer, a political science academic and member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, described the incident as a test of state sovereignty. He told reporters that the federal government must protect Iraqi territory and hold accountable the factions operating outside state authority.
Amer warned that repeated strikes could deter foreign investment in the energy sector. Factions declaring loyalty to Iran rather than the Iraqi state raise questions about the government’s ability to impose authority over the entire country.
Strategic affairs researcher Kadhim Yawer connected the attack to external factors and the broader conflict between the United States and Iran. He stated that the strike aimed to inflict economic damage on the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as a whole.
Yawer said the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq created new security vulnerabilities. Some political factions and parliamentarians continue to resist the full disarmament of militias, granting them greater operational freedom.
Political researcher Ghanem al-Abed pointed out that the attack coincided with a deepening political crisis between the KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which announced its withdrawal from the KRG days prior.
Reuters reported that the attack originated from the Tuz Khurmatu area in Salah al-Din governorate, outside the Kurdish region. Official confirmation of the launch site and perpetrators is pending.
Al-Abed emphasized that the economic fallout extends beyond KRG-administered zones because the facility supplies electricity to the neighboring governorates of Kirkuk and Nineveh. He urged the central government to identify the culprits and prevent Iraq from turning into a battlefield if regional conflicts expand.
