Explosions heard in Iraq's Erbil, US-run oil field shut down
Asia
By
AFP
| Mar 06, 2026
Explosions sounded on Friday near Erbil airport in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region and an attack forced a US-run oil field to shut production.
AFP journalists reported lound bangs and seeing grey smoke rising from near the airport area, which hosts US-led coalition troops
The autonomous Kurdistan region, which hosts US troops, has been pulled into the war engulfing the Middle East, suffering mostly from drone attacks on US bases and interests there.
Drones have repeatedly been intercepted over the city of Erbil, which is also home to a major US consulate complex.
Kurdistan's natural resources ministry said on Friday that oil production at an oil field operated by US firm HKN Energy had been halted following an attack in the Sarsang area in Dohuk province.
READ MORE
HF Group changes name to HFCB after rebrand
Davis Shirtliff targets West and North Africa expansion as it marks 80 years
Capital markets stakeholders push for tax reforms in Finance Bill 2026
Private sector calls for PAYE tax cut in Finance Bill 2026
Appeal Court rejects tycoon's bid for priority refund in Imperial Bank case
Wearable smart glasses raise surveillance fears as use grows
Manufacturers warn of job losses, company closures if Finance Bill 2026 is passed
Activist sues banks over loan interest rates hike
CS Joho's Mining Ministry sinks into licence wars, delays and disputes
A security source told AFP the attack was carried out with two drones the previous day.
Iraq, which has recently regained a sense of stability but has long been a proxy battleground between the US and Iran, had said it did not want to be dragged into the war. But it has not been spared.
Several Iran-backed armed groups -- known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, to which Kataeb Hezbollah also belongs -- have said they will not stay neutral and have claimed dozens of drone attacks on US bases.
On Tuesday, a source at an oil company in Kurdistan told AFP that most foreign oil companies had temporarily halted production as a precautionary measure.