File image.
Two one-way attack drones targeted the office of Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and the residence of Erbil’s security chief, causing no casualties, the Iraqi semi-autonomous region’s Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) reported on August 17.
In a brief statement, the CTS identified the drones as Iranian-made Hadid-110s, but provided no further details on the damage caused by the attack
The Hadid, more commonly known as the Hadid-110, features a stealthy faceted design. It is considered the Islamic Republic’s fastest one-way attack drone, with a speed of over 510 kilometers per hour. The drone is said to have a range of 350 kilometers and carries a warhead weighing 30 kg. Not much is known about how the drone is guided, but it is believed to be equipped with a satellite-aided inertial navigation system.
In an X post, Barzani condemned the attacks as a “dangerous escalation” and a “direct threat to the security and stability” of Kurdistan, adding that they would not deter the government from carrying out its duties and protecting citizens.
Iran began targeting Kurdistan soon after the start of the American-Israeli war last February, mainly targeting Iranian Kurdish opposition armed groups. Several of these groups had received arms and money from both the United States and Israel prior to the start of the war as part of an ill-fated plot to launch a ground offensive from Kurdistan into Iraq.
U.S. President Donald Trump ultimately vetoed the plot, reportedly at the request of Turkey, leaving these parties largely abandoned to face Iran alone.
The latest drone attack was likely more of a warning by Iran to the government of Kurdistan, amid a withdrawal by U.S. forces from the region.
According to an Associated Press report published last week, the U.S. is honoring its agreement with Iraq and is expected to complete its troop withdrawal — including from Kurdistan, which had hosted thousands of American forces — by the September 30 deadline.
At the start of the withdrawal process, around three weeks ago, the U.S. pulled out its Patriot air defense systems from Kurdistan, leaving the region even more exposed to Iranian strikes.
Tehran is unlikely to keep tolerating the presence of Iranian Kurdish opposition armed groups in Kurdistan, and is likely to escalate significantly against the region once the U.S. withdrawal is complete. For Iraq and the region’s government, an agreement to disarm these groups may be the best option — though no reports so far indicate that this is under consideration.
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the kurds always get themselves thrown under the bus by self enrolling into globalist efforts. they are promised land they and liberty but never receive. they have fought syria, iraq, iran and turkey and gained nothing but sacrifice. reason = the iraqi resistance is growing with the us forced exit.