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Huge fire after drone attack hits engine oil warehouse in Iraqi Kurdistan Erbil, Iraq, April 1 (AFP) Apr 01, 2026 A drone strike caused a massive fire at the storage facilities of an engine oil firm in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan on Wednesday, the regional government and the company said. Iraq has been increasingly and unwillingly drawn into the war started by Israel and the US on February 28, with strikes targeting both US interests and pro-Iran groups in the country. The country's northern autonomous Kurdistan has not been spared. The regional capital Erbil hosts a major US consulate complex, while its airport houses military advisors attached to a US-led international anti-jihadist coalition. Both have been regularly targeted since the outbreak of war. Erbil's governor Omed Khoshnaw said the attack had started at around 0700 am local (0400 GMT) and that four drones had targeted the facility. He said a double-tap attack had occurred "while the teams were still working, the same site was attacked by another drone". A fourth drone was "destroyed mid-air before reaching its target," he said, adding that the blaze was ongoing. Iraqi firm Sardar Group confirmed in a statement that the facility, a warehouse located around five kilometres (three miles) from Erbil, was attacked. It said there were no casualties. The company said it was not involved in any way in the Middle East war and that its operations were limited to services and investment, including "the storage of lubricants for automobiles, agricultural equipment, and construction". The strike followed a heavy night of attacks near the regional capital, with Khoshnaw saying some 20 drones had been shot down over the city. |
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