Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq, 18 September 2023 – On a quiet autumn morning, Albayt Airport in Sulaymaniyah Governorate in northern Iraq was the target of a horrific attack. The drone attack caused the tragic death of nine people and shocked the entire region.
Erbayt Airport, built in 2005, is located in Sulaymaniyah province and has been a key facility in the agricultural and civil sectors of the region for many years. This tranquil airport once carried the hopes and dreams of countless people, but now, it has become a symbol of sadness and pain.
In response to the attack, the security services of Sulaymaniyah province issued a statement with preliminary information indicating that some of the victims were members of the local anti-terrorist force "Peshmerg" in Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region. Most disturbing, however, is that the owner of the drone is not yet clear, which makes the incident even more mysterious.
After the incident, the health department of Sulaymaniyah Province immediately took action and sent 10 ambulances to the scene to carry out rescue. Paramedics launched an emergency rescue effort at the scene of the attack to try to save the lives of the injured, despite the danger.
The leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Buffir Talabani, condemned the attack on civilian airports in the Kurdish area that night. He unreservedly expressed his anger at this vicious attack and called on the Iraqi central government to take legal measures to maintain stability in the Kurdish area.