Two drones were used to attack the major Khor Mor gasfield in the Kurdistan region of Iraq last week, with one striking the field and the other missing the target, a government investigation found.
The attack, the 11th on a field that is one of the largest in the Kurdistan region, hit a liquid storage tank, halting all supplies to power stations and causing partial blackouts. Kurdish officials have accused Iran-backed militias of carrying out the attack.
“The two drones used in the attack were launched from the south of the field, from areas east of Tuz Khurmatu district,” the government said on Wednesday. The same area has been used to launch previous attacks, it added.
The authorities said those behind the “heinous and cowardly” attack were “outlawed elements”.
Arrest warrants have been issued for several of them and security forces “are currently pursuing them”, the authorities said. No more details were given.
The investigation committee also recommended increased co-operation between the federal government and Kurdistan region to ensure the protection of the field.
These measures include more forces and enhanced intelligence gathering. The security leadership in the area should be replaced with “more competent commanders” and an air defence system provided, the committee said.
The attack was against “Iraq’s sovereignty and economic wealth”, it added. “This dangerous terrorist act seeks to obstruct and delay the efforts under way to establish security and economic stability,” it said.
In 2007, Sharjah-based Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum signed an agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government to appraise, develop, produce, market and sell hydrocarbons from the Khor Mor and nearby Chamchamal fields.
They established the Kurdistan Gas Project, which was later joined by international energy firms such as Austria-based OMV, Hungary's MOL and RWE, based in Germany.
Production started in 2008, sending gas to power stations in the cities of Chamchamal, Bazian and Erbil.
All of the gas produced by the field has so far been used for power generation in Iraq, providing fuel for more than 80 per cent of the Kurdistan region.
In April, production reached the equivalent of 500 million barrels of oil.
