Khor Mor attack: Inquiry reveals drone origins, identifies attackers
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The Iraqi government on Wednesday approved the full results of the investigation into the Khor Mor gas field attack in Al-Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region, after what officials described as a deliberate attempt to undermine national stability.
According to the statement issued by Sabah Al-Numan, spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the committee was formed following the directives of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, in response to the “heinous and cowardly” attack that targeted the Khor Mor gas field on November 26.
He said the committee began work on November 28 and is chaired by the Iraqi minister of interior, with members including the head of the National Intelligence Service, the Kurdish minister of interior, and the Joint Operations Command. It is supported by a broad technical team from federal and Kurdish security, military, and forensic institutions.
The committee, he added, determined that the attack was carried out using two drones, one of which struck the field while the other fell outside it. “The debris of both drones has been secured by the Forensic Evidence Directorate to extract data from their memory units.”
He confirmed that the two drones used in the attack were launched from the south of the field, from areas east of Tuz Khurmatu district, noting that this attack marks the eleventh targeting of this gas field from the aforementioned area.
The perpetrators have been identified, according to the statement: “They are outlaws, and judicial arrest warrants have already been issued for several of them. Security forces are currently pursuing them.”
Additionally, Al-Numan said that after identifying the culprits, the security services have begun “collecting technical evidence to ensure their conviction and punishment.”
He outlined a series of measures adopted by the Iraqi government in coordination with the Kurdistan Regional Government to protect the site. These include redeploying security forces within the East Saladin Operations sector, replacing local commanders, enhancing federal–Regional intelligence coordination, and providing the field with air-defense systems.
The government, he said, will “impose stricter regulations on the use and transport of drones of all types, prohibiting their operation except with official authorization from the relevant authorities,” and will approach the Supreme Judicial Council “to form a committee with the security and intelligence agencies to follow up on the investigation.”
Al-Numan concluded that the investigation remains ongoing “until all individuals involved in this attack, aimed at targeting Iraq’s sovereignty and economic wealth, are apprehended.”
“This dangerous terrorist act seeks to obstruct and delay the efforts underway to establish security and economic stability. It will not go unpunished, and firm legal measures will be taken against all perpetrators.”
