Khor Mor drone attack raises fears over Iraq’s energy security

A drone attack on the Khor Mor gasfield in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq has drawn attention to the security challenges facing the country’s energy sector, amid escalating regional tensions and domestic political disagreements over restricting weapons to state control.

The attack in Sulaimaniyah governorate late on Sunday sparked a fire and forced the suspension of gas supplies to several power stations, initially reducing electricity generation in areas administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) by between 2,500 and 2,800 megawatts, according to regional officials.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has ordered the formation of a joint investigative committee with KRG authorities to determine who was behind the attack.

No group has claimed responsibility, but the attack comes as regional tensions are heightened due to the US-Israel war on Iran, with Baghdad facing pressure to bring weapons held by predominantly pro-Iranian Shia armed factions under state control. KRG authorities have blamed Iran-backed groups in Iraq for previous attacks on the field in recent years.

The attack also comes days after the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) announced its withdrawal from the KRG, deepening a political crisis with its rival, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

Mohammed Amer, a political science academic and a member of the KDP, said the Khor Mor attack represents a genuine test of the Iraqi state’s sovereignty and its ability to rein in armed groups operating outside its control, and protect its territory and vital facilities.

“The [federal Iraqi] government bears responsibility for protecting Iraqi territory and airspace,” Amer told Al Jazeera. “The repeated targeting of energy sources in the Kurdistan Region also requires it to hold accountable the parties and factions behind these attacks, and to question the authorities responsible for the areas from which they are launched.”

Amer urged the Iraqi government to accelerate efforts to bring weapons under state control, warning that repeated attacks coud deter foreign investment in Iraq’s energy industry.

“These strikes target foreign investment in Iraq’s energy sector, particularly as the Khor Mor field has been targeted many times using drones and missiles,” he said. “There are factions that declare their loyalty to Iran and not to the Iraqi state, and this raises questions about the government’s ability to impose its authority and sovereignty over all Iraqi territory.”

Strategic affairs researcher Kadhim Yawer also linked the attack to regional tensions, with fears continuing that the war between the United States and Iran may escalate once again in the coming days and weeks.

“The strategic purpose of targeting the Khor Mor field at this time is primarily due to external factors linked to the escalation of the conflict between Iran and the US, as well as the desire to inflict economic damage on the Kurdistan Region and Iraq in general,” Yawer said.

He said that the dispute over disarming militias, combined with worsening divisions between the KDP and the PUK, could add to the economic pressure on the region. That comes at a time when, according to Yawer, the field’s importance could grow as the KRG seeks to expand gas production and potentially reach new markets.

Yawer argued that the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq had created additional security challenges, particularly as some political forces – including parliamentarians – continue to not support the full disarmament of militias, allowing them more freedom to operate.

Political researcher Ghanem al-Abed pointed to the timing of the attack, which came as the political dispute between the KDP and the PUK intensified and Baghdad faced resistance from armed groups over its disarmament plans.

“The notable point about the timing of the targeting of the Khor Mor field is that it coincides with political disagreements between the KDP and the PUK, as well as the escalating disagreements between the Iraqi prime minister and some armed factions over handing their weapons to the state,” he said.

The Reuters news agency has reported that the attack originated from the Tuz Khurmatu area of Salah al-Din governorate, outside of northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region – although neither the launch location nor the perpetrators have been officially established so far. Al-Abed called on the Iraqi central government to identify those responsible and hold them accountable.

Al-Abed said the economic consequences of further attacks could extend beyond areas administered by the KRG, given the field’s role in electricity generation in the neighbouring governorates of Kirkuk and Nineveh.

“The Iraqi government must announce the identity of the parties seeking to destroy the country’s economy and hold them accountable,” he said. “The situation in Iraq could explode at any moment because some armed factions are not complying with the demand to hand over their weapons to the state. If war breaks out again between Iran and the US, these factions may intervene in the confrontation, and Iraq could then turn into a battlefield.”