On a Sunday night, a drone loaded with explosives struck the Khor Mor gasfield in Iraq's Kurdish north, and the fire it started reached deep into the daily life of a region of millions. With the gas supply to the power plants of several cities severed, more than seventy percent of the Kurdish territory fell into darkness, while the hospitals and water works were kept alive on the slender reserves of dams and backup fuel. No one has stepped forward to claim the attack, and the question of who sent the machine, and whether it belongs to the larger war now burning across the region, remains unans
Drone Strike Halts Production at Iraq's Khor Mor Gasfield, Cutting Power to Most of Kurdistan
Officials report no casualties, but a power outage affecting more than 70 percent of the Kurdish region threatens hospitals and water treatment.
More than 70 percent of the region went dark after one drone hit one facility
Mark
Why does one gasfield matter so much for a whole region?
Mimi
Because the power plants in Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok depend on its gas. When supply stopped, more than 70 percent of the Kurdish region lost power.
Luke
Worth noting that the scale of the loss rests on officials. The 2,500 to 2,800 megawatt figure comes from the Kurdistan electricity ministry's spokesperson, and the 70 to 80 percent grid capacity cut comes from security sources cited by Al Jazeera.
Mark
What is being done for people who need power most?
Mimi
The ministry says hospitals and water treatment plants will get electricity from hydroelectric stations and plants running on alternative fuel.
Luke
That is a stated plan. The reporting doesn't tell us yet whether it is working or how long it can be sustained.
Mark
Was anyone hurt?
Mimi
The prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, said an initial assessment found no casualties.
Luke
Initial is the key word. It's an early assessment, relayed through the Iraqi News Agency.
Mark
And who did it?
Mimi
Nobody knows. No one has claimed it, and it's unclear whether it ties to the war on Iran. A drone also hit the same facility last year, with no claim then either.
Luke
So any link to the wider war is open. The only confirmed link between the two attacks is the target, not a perpetrator.
Der Puls
- A drone struck the Khor Mor gasfield and set it ablaze, sending smoke and flames over Sulaimaniyah governorate.
- Gas deliveries to power plants in Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Duhok and other cities stopped, taking between 2,500 and 2,800 megawatts off the grid.
- More than seventy percent of the Kurdish region is now without electricity, and every hour of darkness tightens the pressure on the system.
- Hydroelectric stations and alternative-fuel plants are being pushed to keep hospitals and water treatment running while repairs are assessed.
- No group has claimed the strike, and a joint investigative committee has been formed as the question of attribution hangs over the wider Iran war.
On a Sunday night, a drone loaded with explosives struck the Khor Mor gasfield in Iraq's Kurdish north, and the fire it started reached deep into the daily life of a region of millions. With the gas supply to the power plants of several cities severed, more than seventy percent of the Kurdish territory fell into darkness, while the hospitals and water works were kept alive on the slender reserves of dams and backup fuel. No one has stepped forward to claim the attack, and the question of who sent the machine, and whether it belongs to the larger war now burning across the region, remains unanswered as a joint committee begins its work.
On Sunday night, an explosive-laden drone hit the Khor Mor gasfield in northern Iraq's Kurdish region. The strike started a fire at the facility, and within hours more than seventy percent of the semi-autonomous region was without power. Footage verified by Al Jazeera's Sanad shows smoke and flames rising near the field in Sulaimaniyah governorate.
Officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government's electricity ministry said the attack halted gas deliveries to power plants in Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok. Between 2,500 and 2,800 megawatts went offline. The ministry is now concentrating its remaining capacity on hospitals and water treatment plants, supplied by hydroelectric stations and plants that can burn alternative fuel.
For now, the early word on human cost is reassuring. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said an initial assessment found no one killed or injured, and he ordered a joint investigative committee formed with Kurdish authorities.
No one has claimed the attack, and it is unclear whether it is linked to the war the United States and Israel are waging on Iran. The facility was struck by a drone once before, last year, also without a claim of responsibility. Attention now turns to the committee, to whether anyone takes credit, and to how soon gas can flow again.
On Sunday night, an explosive-laden drone struck the Khor Mor gasfield in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. The strike started a fire at the facility and, within hours, left more than 70 percent of the semi-autonomous region without electricity, according to Iraqi and Kurdish officials.
Al Jazeera's fact-checking agency Sanad has verified footage showing smoke and flames rising from the area around the gasfield, which lies in Sulaimaniyah governorate. Peter Smith, reporting for Al Jazeera from Baghdad, cited security sources who said the drone hit the Khor Mor gas storage facility and cut the energy grid's capacity by 70 to 80 percent.
Omid Ahmed, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Electricity, described the effect on supply. The attack suspended gas deliveries to power plants in Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok, the official Iraqi News Agency reported. He put the lost generation at between 2,500 and 2,800 megawatts taken off the grid.
The ministry says it will try to keep critical services running. Ahmed said hospitals and water treatment plants would be supplied by operating hydroelectric power stations and other plants that can run on alternative fuel. Those sources are being used to cover essential facilities, not to restore normal supply across the region.
On casualties, the early word is reassuring. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said an initial assessment found no one was killed or hurt in the attack, INA reported. He also directed that a joint investigative committee be formed with the relevant authorities in the Kurdish region to examine the circumstances of the strike.
Who carried it out is not known. No group has claimed responsibility, and it is unclear whether the attack is connected to the war the United States and Israel are waging on Iran. The strike comes at a time of heightened regional tension.
It is also not the first time. A drone strike hit the same facility last year, and on that occasion too no group claimed responsibility.
What to watch now is the work of the joint committee, whether anyone claims the attack, and how quickly gas can flow again to the five cities' power plants. Until then, hydroelectric and alternative-fuel generation is the margin separating hospitals and water plants from the outage.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The attack suspended gas supply to power plants in Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok, and hospitals and water plants will be supplied by alternative generation.— Omid Ahmed, spokesperson, KRG Ministry of Electricity (paraphrased)
An initial assessment found no casualties, and a joint investigative committee should be formed with Kurdish authorities.— Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, via INA (paraphrased)
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