No Claim, Big Flames: Drone Hits Iraqi Oil Field

An oil production site in Iraq’s Dohuk province was engulfed in flames on Tuesday following a drone strike, marking the latest in a string of similar assaults targeting oil infrastructure across northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The incident occurred on the same day Iraq’s federal government signed a preliminary investment deal with HKN Energy Ltd., a U.S.-based company, for development at a different oil site.

The company also operates the Sarang oil field in Dohuk, where the explosion occurred.

In a public statement, HKN Energy confirmed that an explosion took place at one of its facilities within the Sarang field on Tuesday morning.

The company emphasized that all workers were safely evacuated, and no injuries were reported.

“The facility remains on fire, and emergency teams are working actively to bring it under control,” the statement read.

The exact cause of the explosion is under investigation, and all operations at the affected site have been temporarily halted.

This latest strike is part of a troubling trend of attacks on key energy infrastructure in the Kurdish region, which have escalated tensions between the federal government in Baghdad and Kurdish authorities.

While these assaults have not resulted in casualties so far, they have caused considerable damage to critical energy assets and heightened regional security concerns.

The Kurdish Ministry of Natural Resources issued a statement confirming that the explosion was the result of a drone strike.

This attack followed a similar drone strike on the Khurmala oil field in Irbil province just one day earlier.

In its statement, the ministry condemned the attack as an act of terrorism against the Kurdistan Region’s economic lifelines.

The Kurdish regional government has called on Iraq’s federal authorities to act swiftly, urging them to implement immediate and decisive measures to prevent further attacks.

They also pressed the central government to identify and hold accountable those responsible for the ongoing assaults.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad also weighed in, strongly condemning the recent attacks on oil facilities.

It urged the Iraqi government to exercise control over armed actors within its borders and to safeguard sites of both domestic and international investment.

“The Government of Iraq must take steps to prevent such attacks against facilities located within its own territory, particularly those involving U.S. and international partnerships,” the embassy’s statement read.

On the same day as the explosion, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani met with the vice president of HKN Energy.

The meeting was held to formalize an initial agreement for investment in the Hamrin oil field, located in Salahuddin province.

It underscored the strategic partnership between Iraq and the U.S. energy company.

Earlier this month, the Kurdish regional government leveled accusations against the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

The PMF is a coalition of Iran-backed militias officially under the Iraqi military’s command, claiming they were responsible for several recent drone attacks on oil facilities.

The Iraqi army dismissed the allegations, stating that the claims were made without concrete evidence.

The military warned that such unfounded accusations could potentially give adversaries leverage to destabilize Iraq’s security.

Iranian-backed militias operating in Iraq and Syria have, in the past, targeted American military bases, particularly during times of heightened geopolitical tension.

During the Israel-Iran conflict last month, several of these militias openly threatened to attack U.S. interests if Washington intervened, adding another layer of complexity to Iraq’s already fragile security landscape.

The ongoing attacks not only endanger vital infrastructure but also risk undermining foreign investment and international cooperation in Iraq’s energy sector.

The Kurdish and Iraqi governments are now under growing pressure to restore security and ensure the protection of key economic assets, which are critical to the country’s stability and development.

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