US-backed report says Kurdistan Region seeking air defense systems

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A U.S.-based Long War Journal report says the Kurdistan Regional Government has faced hundreds of drone attacks in recent months and has asked the federal government in Baghdad for air defense systems. The report attributes the rise in attacks to Iran-backed groups following the start of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in February. According to the report, Kurdish authorities are seeking defenses to protect energy infrastructure, including the Khor Mor gas field and the Dana gas facility west of Sulaymaniyah. It cited Kurdistan Interior Minister Reber Ahmed, who said on June 20 that Baghdad was serious about providing anti-drone defense systems and that Prime Minister Ali Zidani had committed to safeguarding the security of investment companies. The report also referenced warnings from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Iran-backed groups have been launching missile and drone attacks from Iraqi territory. It noted that Zidani declared on June 21 that the restoration of state authority over weapons was not open to negotiation and appointed Qasim al-Araji as a special security adviser. Iran's ambassador to Baghdad, Mohammad Kazem Al-e Sadeq, said the question of weapons is an internal Iraqi matter, the report added. No further details on the status of Kurdistan's air defense request were immediately available.