Blasts heard near US consulate in Iraq’s Erbil

Several explosions were heard Wednesday near the US consulate in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region.

Air defenses were activated near the consulate, which was a target of repeated drone and rocket attacks during the Middle East war.

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AFP journalists reported seeing several drones hovering over Erbil, before they were hit by the air defense system, followed by explosions and visible smoke.

No group has claimed responsibility for any attacks.

The blasts coincide with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s one-week visit to Washington, where he met President Donald Trump.

They also come against the backdrop of renewed military escalation between the United States and Iran.

During the Middle East war, the Kurdistan region, which hosts US troops and numerous foreign oil companies, was a primary target for drone attacks, carried out mostly by pro-Iran Iraqi armed groups.

Those groups targeted US facilities in Iraq more than 600 times in support of Tehran.

Since the start of the war, and even after a fragile ceasefire began in April, Iran has also repeatedly struck Iranian Kurdish rebel groups, which have camps and bases in Iraq’s Kurdistan.

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