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Drone Strike on Khor Mor Gasfield Cuts Power to Majority of Kurdish Region

By Today News Hours Editorial Desk

A drone attack on the Khor Mor gasfield in the semi‑autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq caused a fire at the facility and cut power to the area. The strike, which occurred Sunday night, left more than 70 percent of the Kurdish region without electricity. Iraqi and Kurdish officials said the attack suspended gas supply to power plants in Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok, taking between 2,500 and 2,800 megawatts of electricity generation off the grid. The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Electricity spokesperson, Omid Ahmed, said the ministry would supply electricity to critical facilities such as hospitals and water treatment plants by operating hydroelectric and other alternative‑fuel plants. Al Jazeera’s Peter Smith, reporting from Baghdad, cited security sources who said the explosive‑laden drone struck the gas storage facility, reducing the energy grid’s capacity by 70 to 80 percent. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al‑Zaidi said there were no casualties from the attack, based on an initial assessment, and directed that a joint investigative committee be formed with relevant Kurdish authorities to investigate the circumstances. The attack comes amid heightened regional tensions; a drone strike hit the same facility last year with no group claiming responsibility.