ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Wednesday directed the investigation into the recent attack on Sulaimani’s key Khor Mor gas field be completed “as soon as possible,” and stressed the need to hold the responsible parties accountable.

Khor Mor, the Kurdistan Region’s largest gas field, was targeted late Sunday in what its operator, the UAE-based Dana Gas, termed a suspected drone attack.

Zaidi followed up on the investigation’s progress during a meeting with top security officials on Wednesday, calling for “the investigative procedures be finalized and the concluding report be completed as quickly as possible,” read a statement from Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the Iraqi commander-in-chief.

He emphasized the necessity of “taking firm legal action against anyone proven to be involved in this attack, and holding those responsible accountable under the law,” ensuring that similar attacks “do not recur,” while safeguarding the security of vital infrastructure and those working there.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani affirmed Monday that he and Zaidi “have agreed that these attacks must not be repeated” and that the federal government and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will “assist each other” with prevention efforts.

On Tuesday, Numan asserted that the committee tasked with investigating the incident would identify the source of the threat and the parties involved, adding that it “will reach the perpetrators and bring them to justice.”

He also said there is ongoing effort by Baghdad to “provide the air defense forces with modern air defense systems, modern radars, and also equipment to counter indirect attacks.”

The withdrawal of the US-led coalition in late September saw the removal of foreign air defense systems in the Kurdistan Region, which had proved invaluable in intercepting incoming Iranian missile and drone strikes during the US-Israeli war on Iran earlier in the year.

Khor Mor has come under repeated attacks, forcing staff evacuations and halting production. During the US-Iran war, numerous drone and missile strikes by Iran and Iraqi pro-Iran armed groups targeted civilian and energy infrastructure across the Kurdistan Region.