PM Barzani demands security measures following deadly Erbil strikes

Shafaq News- Erbil

Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Saturday condemned the recent attacks targeting the Kurdistan Region despite the US-Iran temporary ceasefire implemented on April 8, reiterating that Erbil is not part of the war.

In a post on X, Barzani noted that five people were killed and many others injured in the latest attacks, describing them as an attempt to violate the ceasefire and cause further harm to the people of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Urging Baghdad to take “practical” steps to bring the attacks to an end, he also called on international partners to provide the necessary equipment to help protect Kurdish assets and energy infrastructure from ongoing threats.

We strongly condemn the ongoing drone attacks against the Kurdistan Region over the last several days. Although we have not been part of the conflict, we continue to come under attack.Despite the ceasefire and ongoing peace talks, these attacks have killed at least five people…

— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) April 18, 2026

Yesterday, a local source told Shafaq News that drone and missile strikes hit the Jezhnikan and Balisan camps, both belonging to Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The preliminary toll indicated the killing of a child and two party-affiliated Peshmerga fighters.

Since hostilities escalated between the United States, Iran, and Israel on February 28, the Kurdistan Region has faced around 650 missile and drone incidents affecting diplomatic facilities, sites linked to Iranian Kurdish opposition groups, Peshmerga positions, oil fields, communication networks, residential areas, and public infrastructure, leaving about 16 people dead and 100 injured.

Read more: 650 Strikes in Iraqi Kurdistan: How deniability became a weapon