US State Department condemns IRGC missile attacks on Erbil

Shafaq News / The US Department of State strongly condemned the missile attacks carried out by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) against Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), on Tuesday, resulting in the death and injury of 10 civilians.

The spokesperson for the Department, Mattew Miller, stated in a press release, "The United States strongly condemns the Iranian attacks in Erbil today and extends its condolences to the victims’ families."

"We oppose Iran's reckless missile strikes, which undermine the stability of Iraq."

He continued, "We support the efforts of the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to meet the aspirations of the Iraqi people."

Furthermore, on Monday night, IRGC launched a fierce missile strike targeting civilian areas in Erbil, causing the death and injury of 10 civilians.

It is noteworthy that IRGC had earlier claimed responsibility for the attacks that targeted Erbil and stated that they came "in response to the crimes of the Zionist regime against the Islamic Republic, the latest of which was the killing of several IRGC leaders by Zionist fire, targeting a main Mossad spy center in KRI and destroying it with ballistic missiles."

The statement added that this Zionist center was the main one responsible for developing and launching espionage operations and planning terrorist activities in the region, especially against Iran.

The Security Council of the Kurdistan Region condemned, early today, the missile bombardment conducted by IRGC, targeting various areas in Erbil, as a "blatant violation of the sovereignty" of the Region and Iraq.

The Council stated that at 11:30 on the night of January 15 to January 16, 2024, IRGC bombarded several civilian areas in Erbil with ballistic missiles, resulting in the death of four civilians and the injury of six others, some of whom are in critical condition.

The statement added that IRGC declared that the attack targeted several locations of groups opposed to Iran, pointing out that this excuse has no basis, and we reject it. They always use baseless excuses to attack Erbil.

The statement emphasized that "Erbil, as a stable region, has never been a source of threat to any party."

The statement continued that the strikes carried out by the IRGC on Erbil are a "flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the region and Iraq," and the federal government and the international community must not remain silent about this crime.