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Explosion heard near Iraq's Erbil airport: AFP journalist Erbil, Iraq, March 31 (AFP) Mar 31, 2026 An explosion was heard Tuesday morning near the international airport of Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, an AFP journalist said. Iraq has been drawn into the broader Middle East war that started with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Pro-Iran armed groups have claimed responsibility for attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region, while strikes have also targeted the groups. Erbil is home to a major US consulate complex, while its airport houses military advisers attached to a US-led anti-jihadist coalition. Regular drone attacks by pro-Iran armed groups have usually been intercepted by air defences. Another AFP journalist said debris from the intercepted attack had fallen on cars and homes near the airport, causing some damage, and reported seeing smoke rising over the city. A base in northern Sulaymaniyah province hosting the Iraqi Kurdistan regional armed forces was also targeted overnight by a missile and rocket attack, the regional force said, adding there were no casualties. In southern Iraq, security officials said a drone had fallen in an oil field but there had been no explosions or injuries reported. Many oil operations in Iraq have been paused since the outbreak of the war. Overnight, former paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) -- part of the regular army, but which contains some pro-Iran groups -- said its positions were targeted. There were no casualties after three US-Israeli strikes targeted its forces in Jurf al-Sakher, it said. The base is also known as Jurf al-Nasr, and is one of the strongholds of the pro-Iran US-blacklisted groups Kataeb Hezbollah. |
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