On Sunday, Aziz Ahmad, Deputy Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, confirmed that armed groups paid by the Iraqi state had attacked an oil facility in the Kurdistan Region.

Social media outlets linked to Iran-backed armed groups have published videos of two attacks on the Lanaz refinery in Erbil Governorate on March 13 and  March 15. Furthermore, on March 6, the Sarsang oilfield operated by U.S. energy company HKN in Duhok Governorate was targeted with drone strikes.

Iranian state media has denied responsibility for the drone attacks on the Lanaz refinery.

“The criminals paid and armed by the Iraqi government targeted a refinery in Erbil tonight,” Ahmad said. “These militias are part of the government and parliament.”

Ahmad added that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has shared the names of the perpetrators with the government in Baghdad. 

“After hundreds of attacks over several years, there have been zero convictions. When a handful of symbolic arrests were made, the suspects were released on bail as a ruse to [allow them to] flee the country. All we hear are promises of investigations.”

On Saturday, the KRG Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs denied rumors in the media that Peshmerga forces were involved in an attack on a Popular Mobilization Forces base in Saladin Governorate.

“We strongly reject all these rumors and reports. We affirm that the Peshmerga forces are not involved in the military tensions or conflicts taking place in the region. The Peshmerga have not participated in any military action against any party.

“We strongly condemn the militia drone attacks on [the Kurdistan Region’s] infrastructure and civilian sites, the recent targeting of the UAE Consulate General in Erbil and U.S. Embassy in Baghdad,” Safeen Dizayee, Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, posted on X on Saturday.

“Federal Government and security forces must disarm these lawless loose guns and protect international partners.”