Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s aspirations for holding a long-term truce with armed factions were short-lived after international airports in both Baghdad and Erbil were targeted by rocket attacks that threatened the safety of diplomatic missions in Iraq.
The attack has dashed any progress made with armed factions, returning the crisis to square one.
Washington, however, has decided to give the Iraqi government a second chance on its decision to close its embassy in Baghdad, a move which can lead to severe repercussions on bilateral ties and Iraqi foreign relations.
A number of Arab and foreign countries have informed the US that they intend to close their embassies in Baghdad and move them to Erbil if Washington decides to take this step, sources reported.
As for the Erbil attack, authorities in the Kurdistan Region blamed factions linked to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) for staging the assault.
An international probe into the incident has been launched, threatening to complicate Baghdad’s attempt at resolving the ensuing crisis.
The US and US-led international coalition announced that they plan to conduct an investigation into the attack.
One of the six rockets fired on the Erbil airport fell 200 meters away from a Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI) base. It was not clear if the KDPI was an intentional target.
The Kurdistan Region’s counterterrorism service blamed the attack on the PMF.
“Six rockets were launched from the borders of the Sheikh Amir village in Nineveh province by the PMF, who were targeting (US-led) coalition forces in Erbil International Airport,” it said.
Four rockets landed at the edge of the airport compound and two did not explode, it added in a statement.
The Kurdish interior ministry condemned the attack, but did not directly blame the PMF.
It, however, said the rockets were launched from an area under the jurisdiction of the PMF’s 30th Brigade.
