The White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday that the US is working with Iraqi authorities to identify who was behind Monday's rocket attack on the Kurdistan Region’s capital city of Erbil. 

"We are still working through attribution with our Iraqi partners to determine precise attribution for this attack. Obviously, this is a priority," Psaki told reporters during a press briefing. "I will convey that we are outraged by last night's rocket attack in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region." 

She added that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with the Kurdistan Region’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani "to offer assistance with the investigation to help hold accountable those responsible for this attack, but we have not determined attribution to this point."

Asked if there will be retaliation from the US, she said that the US reserves the right to respond in a "time and manner" of their choosing, but they are waiting to determine the culprits behind the attack, adding that diplomacy is a US priority.  Continue Reading

Monday night's rocket attack on Erbil was conducted amid regional "chaos" caused by Iran, Syria's Turkey-backed opposition has said.

The Syrian National Coalition (SNC) issued a statement on Tuesday condemning the rocket attack on Erbil that left one person dead and nine more wounded.

"It has become clear that the state of chaos and devastation that we have been suffering from in the region for decades comes as a result of the Iranian regime's subversive policies and the terrorist militias associated with it," read the statement.

The SNC also blamed "regimes that insist on disrupting the wheel of change and continuing to choose oppression and coercion," in apparent reference to the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

"The National Coalition stands by the Iraqi people in the face of terrorism, stressing its rejection of any attempts to settle regional or international scores at the expense of the Iraqis."

Earlier today, Iran's foreign ministry condemned what it called "suspicious attempts" to pin responsibility for the rocket attack on Iran.

Iran-backed Iraqi militias have previously claimed responsibility for rocket attacks on foreign military or diplomatic targets in Iraq.

The SNC contains members of the Kurdish National Council (ENKS), which in northeast Syria (Rojava) is the opposition to the ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD). ENKS is linked to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of the Kurdistan Region.
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Investigation into the rocket attack on Erbil by a joint committee made up of Iraqi and KRG representatives is ongoing, according to Iraq's foreign ministry.

"Investigations are continuing by a joint committee of the federal security authorities and the Kurdistan Regional Government,” read a statement from the ministry released Tuesday.

"The Iraqi government will use all means to fight the remnants of terrorism in any form and under any name, and it is determined to continue its war against these terrorist groups.”  Continue Reading

Britain's foreign secretary Dominic Raab has condemned Monday night's rocket attack on Erbil as "outrageous and acceptable", and urged for action from the governments of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

"Last night’s attack on @Coalition forces and civilians in Erbil were outrageous & unacceptable. Iraqis won’t forgive militias putting Iraq’s stability at risk. My thoughts are with those injured. UK stands fully behind @MAKadhimi & @masrour_barzani to hold perpetrators to account," Raab said in a tweet.

Stephen Hickey, the British ambassador to Iraq also called for the perpetrators to be held accountable.

"Coalition forces are here in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government, in order to fight Daesh," Hickey also said.

"These attacks terrorise civilians, destabilise Iraq, and undermine the fight against Daesh (Islamic State)." Continue Reading

The spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry has condemned attempts to link Monday night's rocket attack on Erbil to Tehran as "suspicious", Iranian state media reported on Tuesday.

“Suspicious attempts to link the Erbil attacks to Iran are condemned,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said in an official statement, as reported by Iranian state media outlet IRNA.

"Iran considers the stability and security of Iraq central to the region and its neighbors, and rejects any attempt that disturbs the peace and order of the country,” he added.

Read more here: Attempts to link Erbil attack to Iran ‘suspicious’: FM spokesperson



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Erbil International Airport has resumed flights after Monday's rocket attack, its CEO has confirmed. 

“At 10:00 pm last night, all our flights were halted due to the rocket attack on Erbil. Today, we have resumed our flights to all countries, and citizens can visit the airport to fly," Ahmed Hoshyar told Rudaw's Dlnia Rahman.

There is no threat to the airport, but the extent of the damages is still unknown, he added.
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Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani has said Monday's rocket attack on Erbil, in which one person was killed and several were injured, is a "wake-up call" and called for closer collaboration between Erbil and Baghdad. 

“This attack is a wake-up call for all of us, to unite and be unanimous in facing danger. This incident and its precedents also show the need for the federal government and the regional government to collaborate more to fill in the security gap in the disputed areas," he said in a statement.

“The international community and allied countries also need to take these dangers seriously and help us eradicate terrorism and punish law-violating groups,” he said, adding that protecting the Kurdistan's stability and security is a "red line."
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The Ambassador of Canada to Iraq, Ulric Shannon, has said those responsible for the rocket attack on the Kurdistan Regional capital must be held responsible. 

"Those responsible must be held accountable, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with the regional and federal governments as they conduct their investigations," he tweeted in Arabic, denouncing the attacks "that caused casualties and damage in civilian areas."

His tweet follows a similar statement from Canadian Consul-General Ashley Durec. 

"Canada stands with the people of Kurdistan and supports the KRG and the Government of Iraq in their investigation of this reckless attack," she tweeted.

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The Turkish foreign ministry has condemned  Monday's rocket attack on Erbil in an official statement.

"We strongly condemn the rocket attacks in Erbil, which are understood to have targeted civilian settlements," it said.

"We believe that the Iraqi authorities will quickly identify those behind these heinous attacks," it added, saying there is a need for inclusive strengthening of national institutions for Iraq's peace, stability and sovereignty."

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