ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Thursday called on the Iraqi federal government to hold the perpetrators of the Khor Mor gas field strike accountable, saying the attack is a “direct threat” to Iraq’s security. 

“I strongly condemn the terrorist attack that was carried out last night on the Khor Mor field. This attack is against Iraq and the Kurdistan Region’s economic infrastructure and public services,” Barzani said in a statement. 

A strike targeted the key Khor Mor gas field in Sulaimani province late Wednesday. The UAE-based Dana Gas, the field’s operator, said the following day that the liquified petroleum gas (LPG) section was “struck by a rocket attack,” causing no injuries but shutting down production. 

“It is the duty and responsibility of the Iraqi federal government and the relevant security institutions, and they must make serious efforts as soon as possible to apprehend and punish the perpetrators of this crime and prevent its recurrence,” Barzani stressed. 

The Kurdistan Region’s natural resources and electricity ministries said the field was targeted by a drone strike, with power supply across the Region slashed by 80 percent and electricity production down to 1,000 MW from 4,000 MW.

The attack also disrupted power delivery to the provinces of Nineveh, Kirkuk, and Salahaddin, Iraq’s electricity ministry told The New Region on Thursday. 

Earlier on Thursday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani urged Washington to provide Erbil with defense equipment to prevent such attacks from repeating. 

“The usual terrorists or whoever may be behind tonight’s attacks cannot be allowed to repeat these crimes or be released on bail, as in the past,” Prime Minister Barzani stressed, urging Baghdad to “find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.”

The Khor Mor field is the main producer of the Kurdistan Region’s electricity, with natural gas reserves of around 1.8 trillion cubic feet. It is operated by Dana Gas, which, alongside affiliate Crescent Petroleum, agreed to a deal with the KRG in 2007 to develop the Region’s gas capacities.