Washington blames Iranian proxies for attack on Nechirvan Barzani’s residence, calling it an assault on Iraq’s sovereignty.
WASHINGTON: The United States has condemned a drone attack on a residence belonging to the leader of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani.
State Department deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott blamed Iranian militia proxies in Iraq for Saturday’s strike.
“These actions by Iran and its proxies are a direct assault on Iraq’s sovereignty, stability, and unity,” Pigott said in a statement.
He added that the US “categorically reject[s] the indiscriminate and cowardly terrorist acts that Iran and its terrorist proxies have unleashed in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and throughout Iraq.”
The Iraqi government has pledged to investigate the attack, which targeted Barzani’s second home.
French President Emmanuel Macron also denounced the strike after speaking with Barzani.
Macron called the attack “unacceptable” and described a rise in attacks on Iraqi institutions as “worrying.”
Iraq has been drawn into a wider regional conflict since a US-Israeli offensive against Iran began on February 28.
Pro-Iranian groups in Iraq now claim near-daily responsibility for drone and rocket attacks targeting the US military presence.
These attacks have also struck the US Embassy in Baghdad and personnel from an international anti-jihadist coalition deployed in the country.
