Third rocket attack in 72 hours targets northern Iraq gas complex

Counterterrorism forces in Sulaimaniyah province confirmed there had been no casualties or damage to the gas complex.

Kirkuk oil
Flames emerge from flare stacks at the oil fields in Kirkuk, Iraq on October 18, 2017 [File: Alaa Al-Marjani/Reuters]

A Katyusha rocket struck near an Emirati-owned gas complex in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region without causing damage or casualties, local officials said, the third such attack in 72 hours.

The rocket fired on Saturday targeted the Khor Mor gas complex, owned by UAE energy company Dana Gas, said Sediq Mohammed, an official from the adjacent Qadr Qaram district.

“The rocket hit around 500 metres outside the complex,” he said. There was no immediate claim for the attack.

The Counter-Terrorism Group, a security body in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, said in a statement that six rockets in total had hit the Khor Mor gas field, which lies between the cities of Kirkuk and Sulaimaniyah.

Katyusha rocket attacks targeted the same complex on Wednesday and Friday, also without causing casualties or damage.

Energy infrastructure elsewhere in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region has also come under attack in recent weeks.

In May, there was minor damage following a rocket attack at the Kawergosk refinery, northwest of the regional capital Erbil.

In April, three rockets hit near the same facility – one of the largest in the area – with no casualties or damage reported.

Source: News Agencies