A drone strike killed two married couples, a Peshmerga soldier and his wife, in an attack targeted residential neighborhoods in Erbil, capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region IK. In a separate series of incidents, strikes attributed to US/Israeli forces hit Hashd al-Shaabi positions in Kirkuk, Salahaddin, and Anbar, leaving one person dead and several others injured.
According to a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the drone attack occurred at 12:15 a.m. on Tuesday April 7th, striking a civilian house in Zargazawi village in the Darashakran sub-district. Musa Anwar Rasul, 39, and his wife Mujda Asad Hassan, 35, left behind two daughters.
"These attacks are unacceptable and completely rejected," said Iraqi Kurdistan Region President IKRP Nechirvan Barzani, calling on the Iraqi federal government to fulfill its duty and responsibility to prevent these crimes and attacks.
Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government KRG emphasized that “targeting civilians and their homes constitutes a war crime” and pledged to raise the concerns of Kurdistan’s people internationally.
Peshmerga Minister Shorsh Ismail also condemned the violence, stating that the safety of citizens and the sovereignty of the region are non-negotiable, and called on both the Iraqi government and the international community to respond.
Since the escalation of the conflict, multiple cities and residential areas in both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq have come under attack. On April 6, another drone strike hit a home in the Bakhtiari neighborhood of Sulaimani, located less than 500 meters from a headquarters pf KirkukNow and Wadi, a German-Iraqi NGO.
On the same Tuesday morning, a strike on a Popular Mobilization Forces PMF known as Hashd al-Shaabi base in the Qaim district of Anbar province killed one fighter, according to an official statement. In Kirkuk province, an airstrike targeted a communications vehicle belonging to PMF in Bashir village along the main road between Taza Khurmatu and Kirkuk, though the extent of the damage remains unclear.
Additionally, a missile attack on a Hashd al-Shaabi facility in the Amrli district of Salahaddin province injured two individuals. Due to ongoing security concerns and the threat of further attacks, local authorities in Amrli declared a holiday for government offices and schools.
Since the outbreak of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran on February 28, a total of 111 people have been killed and dozens more injured across Iraq, including civilians, Peshmerga forces, Hashd al-Shaabi members, and army personnel, according to a Reuters report updated today.
In terms of regional impact, Iraq ranks third in casualties, following Iran and Lebanon, and ahead of Israel, the United States, and Canada.
