Iraqi, Kurdish and US officials denounce Iran's missile strikes on Erbil

Iraqi, Kurdish and US officials on Tuesday, 16 January, condemned last night's missile attacks by Iran on several locations in Erbil, the capital city of the autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq.

Iran on Monday reported that they had conducted strikes against what they described as an "Israeli spy headquarters and gathering of anti-Iranian terrorist groups" shortly after missiles struck an upscale area near the US consulate in Erbil. 

The Iraqi government on Tuesday condemned the Iranian aggression on Erbil. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has formed a committee of senior security officials to investigate the attack. Sudani also sent the Iraq National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji to Erbil to assess the repercussions of the recent Iranian bombardment. 

The Security Council of the Kurdistan Regional Government said in a statement that four civilians were killed and six injured in the strikes.

Peshraw Dizayi, a prominent local businessman and owner of Falcon Group companies and Empire World real estate, was killed in one of the strikes along with members of his family. According to Rudaw, Karam Mikhail, a British-Emirati businessman and owner of Al-Rayan Iraq Company specialising in the import of domestic electronic apparatuses, was also killed in the attack on Dizayi's house outside Erbil. 

"I urge the federal government in Baghdad to take a principled position against the flagrant violation of Iraq's and the Kurdistan Region's sovereignty. I also call on our partners in the international community not to remain silent in the face of repeated attacks against the people of Kurdistan," Masrour Barzani, the KRG PM, said in a statement. "In the next few days, we will work with our partners in the international community to stop these brutal attacks against our innocent people."

Masoud Barzani, the president of the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), in a statement, severely condemned IRGC's attacks, refuted Iran's allegations, and cautioned that the patience of the Kurdistan region "is about to end".  

"The Iraqi government considers this behaviour as an aggression against Iraq's sovereignty and the security of the Iraqi people and a violation of good neighbourhood and regional security," the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release. The ministry also confirmed that it had summoned the Iranian chargé d'affaires in Baghdad Abu Al-Fadl Azizi and handed him a protest note.

The ministry stressed it will take all legal measures, including filing a complaint with the UN Security Council, based on the results of the fact-checking committee currently investigating the attacks in Erbil. 

Pershaw Dizayee, mutual close friends described him as a self made billionaire, a hard working man, a family man who started from high school as an entrepreneur, successfully expanded his business into building the Empire Towers, the most prestigious compound in Erbil, today… pic.twitter.com/GrvdX5ERFv

— Entifadh Qanbar 🇮🇶🇺🇸 انتفاض قنبر (@eqanbar) January 16, 2024

Soon after the attacks on Erbil, the IRGC on state media said it had struck "terrorist operations" including Islamic State targets in Syria "and destroyed them by firing several ballistic missiles."

"The United States strongly condemns Iran's attacks in Erbil today and offers condolences to the families of those who were killed. We oppose Iran's reckless missile strikes, which undermine Iraq's stability," Matthew Miller, US State Department spokesperson, said. "We support the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government's efforts to meet the aspirations of the Iraqi people."

According to preliminary reports, the US facilities in Erbil were not targeted or damaged.