Drone Strike Shuts Kormor Gas Field, Plunges Erbil and Sulaymaniyah into Blackouts

A late‑night drone strike forced a complete shutdown of production at the Kormor natural gas field in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, sparking a fire at a main facility and triggering widespread electricity outages across Erbil and Sulaymaniyah provinces, officials said.

The Joint Operations Command reported the attack occurred at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday and described it as a "cowardly" and "serious terrorist act" aimed at undermining economic stability and disrupting essential services. Authorities said the blaze caused significant damage to one of the field’s primary processing units but that no casualties were reported.

Impact on power and local services

Kormor is one of the region’s most productive gas fields and supplies fuel used by nearby power plants. Officials from the Kurdistan ministries of natural resources and electricity said gas deliveries to power stations were "completely halted" at the time of the strike, contributing to blackouts across Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.

Outages were compounded by an ongoing boycott by some private generator operators, who say a government decision earlier this year to provide round‑the‑clock power has cut their revenues. Teams from the regional ministries and personnel from Dana Gas — one of the field’s operators — were reported on site assessing damage and working to stabilize systems.

Security response and investigation

Local forces intercepted a drone targeting the field on Sunday, officials said, and this Wednesday strike is the second assault on Kormor in a week. No group has claimed responsibility for either incident, and authorities reported no arrests to date.

“This act constitutes a direct threat to the interests of Iraqis,” the Joint Operations Command said, adding that those responsible would be pursued and face decisive legal measures.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al‑Sudani convened an emergency meeting with defence and interior ministers and ordered a high‑level committee to investigate the attack and recommend measures to prevent future incidents. Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani called on federal security agencies to act "swiftly and decisively" to hold perpetrators accountable.

International reaction

The U.S. special envoy to Iraq, Mark Savaya, criticized the assault on social media and blamed "armed groups operating illegally and driven by hostile foreign agendas," urging Iraqi authorities to identify and prosecute those responsible. Kurdistan Regional Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also appealed for international support and additional defensive equipment to protect civilian energy infrastructure.

Officials said repair and safety teams remain on site. Investigations are ongoing into both this strike and the earlier attempted attack; authorities have pledged to pursue those responsible and to strengthen protections for critical energy facilities.