ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The explosions heard across Erbil were caused by military training and security activities, the Kurdistan Region’s Directorate of Counter Terrorism said Sunday, reassuring they posed no danger.

At least two loud booms were heard in the Kurdistan Region’s capital followed by a column of smoke rising.

“We assure everyone that the explosions that were heard in Erbil province on Sunday, September 20, were military training and security activities and are not dangerous,” the Kurdistan Region’s counterterrorism force said in a statement following the sounds.

The reassurance comes as Erbil has been targeted by hundreds of strikes from Iran and Iran-backed Iraqi militias in recent months amid the US-Iran war.

The Kurdistan Region has long insisted upon its neutrality in the broader regional conflict and repeatedly condemned Iranian strikes.

The attacks have come as part of broader retaliatory strikes which have also included Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait, following US strikes on IRGC targets in southern and southwestern Iran.

Controlled explosions are often used in military settings to safely discard of unexploded ordnance, neutralize explosive hazards, and destroy unstable munition.