After reports of mortar bombs hitting near Erbil airport on February 15, 2021, smoke rises above Erbil.
Digital Desk: According to Iraqi security officials, 12 missiles were fired near the US consulate in Irbil on Sunday. According to a US defense official, missiles fired from Iran were filed against the city.
There were no injuries recorded. Officials in Iraq and the United States presented conflicting reports of the strike and its consequences. According to a second US official, there was no damage to any US government property, and there was no evidence the objective was the consulate building, which is new and now unoccupied.
Initially, an Iraqi official in Baghdad claimed that three missiles had hit the US consulate, which was the intended objective of the strike. Later, Lawk Ghafari, the head of Kurdistan's international media office, reported that none of the missiles reached the US facility but that the rockets impacted locations near the compound.
According to a US defense official, the number of missiles fired and landed is still unknown. Both U.S. officials talked to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the incident by name.
According to Iraqi security authorities, there were no initial reports of deaths from the incident, which occurred just after midnight and caused material damage in the region. They talked on the condition of anonymity, as required by law.
One Iraqi official said the ballistic missiles were fired from Iran, which did not elaborate. US officials could not confirm the type of missile.
According to the second US official, the event is being probed by the Iraqi government and the Kurdish Regional Government. In a statement, the US condemned what it called an "outrageous aggression against Iraqi sovereignty and exhibition of violence."
The attack came days after two of Iran's Revolutionary Guard members were killed in an Israeli strike near Damascus, Syria. Iran's foreign ministry condemned the incident and pledged retaliation on Wednesday.
On Sunday, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said that Iraqi media acknowledged the strikes in Irbil but did not identify where they came from.
Shortly after the attack, satellite broadcast channel Kurdistan24, based near the US consulate, went live from their studio, displaying shattered glass and debris on the studio floor.
According to a security statement, Irbil was hit "with several missiles" early Sunday, adding that security officials were investigating the incident and giving more details later.
The incident occurred as talks in Vienna over Iran's shattered nuclear accord came to a "halt" due to Russian demands for penalties on Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Iran and Iranian-backed militias are increasingly threatening US troops and partners in Iraq and Syria, according to the top US commander for the Middle East.
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