ERBIL, November 9 (Aalimi Nation) – A drone attack on the Khor Mor gasfield in Iraq's Kurdistan region on Sunday night halted gas production, started a fire and knocked out electricity across much of the region, Iraqi and Kurdish officials said. No group has claimed responsibility.
The regional authorities said the field came under what they called a "terrorist attack" at about 11 pm local time on Sunday. A Kurdish security source said an explosive-laden drone struck the facility, which lies in Sulaimaniyah governorate.
Omid Ahmed, spokesperson for the regional government's electricity ministry, said gas supply to power plants in Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok had been suspended. The ministry said the strike removed between 2,500 and 2,800 megawatts from the grid. Officials put the share of the Kurdish region that lost power at more than 70 per cent, while security sources cited by journalists in Baghdad spoke of a reduction in grid capacity of 70 to 80 per cent.
The ministry said it would try to keep electricity flowing to hospitals and water treatment plants by using hydroelectric stations and power plants running on alternative fuel.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said an initial assessment found no casualties. He ordered a joint investigative committee with the Kurdish regional authorities to establish the circumstances of the attack. A source at the facility said production had stopped completely but gave no details of the damage or when operations might resume.
Officials have not said who carried out the strike. It is also unclear whether it is connected to the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
In the past, Kurdish authorities have blamed Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups for drone and rocket strikes on energy sites in the region. Since the start of the wider Middle East war, the Kurdistan region has been a frequent target of attacks, mostly on oilfields. Those allegations have not been proven in this case, and no authority has formally named a suspect for Sunday's strike.
Khor Mor is operated by Pearl Petroleum, a consortium that includes UAE-based Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum. Its gas feeds most of the power stations in the Kurdistan region rather than export markets, so the direct effect on global energy supplies is expected to be limited. The same facility was hit by a drone strike in November 2025, and no group claimed that attack either.
Washington has long pressed Baghdad to disarm Iran-backed armed groups. Prime Minister al-Zaidi has vowed that armed factions will hand their weapons over to the state.
The joint committee is expected to examine how the drone reached the site and who was responsible, though no timeline for its findings has been announced. The regional authorities have said they are taking all necessary measures to limit the effect on the electricity network, but they have not said when gas supply to the power plants will be restored.
