Iraqi, Kurdish civil organizations condemn Iranian missile attack

Shafaq News/ Iraqi and Kurdish civil organizations condemned the Iranian missile attack on Erbil last week, which they said was a flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty.

In a press conference, civil activist Gesh Darya said, "We strongly condemn the bombing of the city of Erbil, which is a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and undermines security and stability in the country."

She added, "For years, Turkey and Iran have been carrying out repeated attacks on Iraqi territory in general and Kurdish region territory in particular, ignoring international norms and laws."

She noted that "in recent years, the two countries have carried out military attacks and established about 215 military bases in the Kurdish region, from which they have carried out attacks on the region's territory."

"The attacks have been going on since 1999 to the present, and have resulted in the death of about 850 civilians and the injury of thousands of civilians. The two countries have also targeted civilian sites within cities and residential neighborhoods, such as airports, homes, hospitals, places of worship, and schools."

"The attacks have resulted in the destruction of the country's environment, from mountains and green spaces, which has led to the burning of about 1.8 million dunams of land, the death of more than 2,500 wild animals, and the destruction of thousands of beehives."

"The aggressors treated the region's areas as if they were not part of Iraq, and no responsible party has clarified its position on those attacks."

" the wake of the Israeli-Palestinian war, Iranian forces carried out several attacks on Erbil airport and other places, the latest of which was on the night of January 16, 2024, which targeted a civilian home in central Erbil, killing innocent civilians. This created a state of panic and instability among citizens, while there were no practical or effective responses from the Iraqi government to stand up to those attacks."

The protesters demanded that the three federal presidencies fulfill their constitutional and legal obligations to protect the security and sovereignty of Iraqi territory in accordance with Article 67 of the Iraqi Constitution, which obliges those authorities to protect the sovereignty of Iraqi territory and the security and safety of its people. They also called on the international community to pressure those aggressor states to stop their repeated attacks.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that the Iranian missile attack on the city of Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish region, "does not conflict" with Iraqi sovereignty. This is denied by the governments of Baghdad and Erbil, which condemned the attack and described it as a "hostile act."