Situation calms down at Iraqi gas complex after attack: Ankara
ANKARA
The Turkish Foreign Ministry has stated that the situation has stabilized in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah following the attack on a gas field last week, with efforts ongoing for the evacuation of Turkish employees working in the complex.
Four workers died and eight others were wounded when the drone struck a condensate storage tank at the gas complex. The Khor Mor complex owned by the United Arab Emirates firm Dana Gas has been hit several times in recent years, but the attack on April 26 was the first deadly incident.
"Following last Friday's security problems in the Chamchamal district of the Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah, the situation now appears to be calm," the ministry's spokesperson, Öncü Keçeli, said in a written statement on April 28.
"At their request, the Turkish Consulate General in Erbil has been providing the necessary support and guidance for the evacuation of our citizens working for Turkish companies involved in the natural gas power plant project in the Khor Mor region."
The ministry continues to monitor developments in the region, the statement added.
Meanwhile, Emirati-owned Dana Gas on April 29 announced that it has suspended operations at the complex.
"Although there was very minor damage to the facilities, for the safety of all our staff and the facilities, we have temporarily suspended production and instituted specific procedural changes," Dana Gas said in a statement.
The strike disrupted gas supply to the region's power plants, resulting in the loss of 2,500 megawatts (MW) of electricity, local electricity authorities said. Iraqi security forces formed an investigative committee to probe the incident, vowing that the "aggressors" will be punished.
The Khor Mor gas field lies between the cities of Kirkuk and Sulaymaniyah, a region administered by Iraq’s Kurdistan regional government.
The four killed in the attack are all Yemeni nationals, according to Peshawa Hawramani, spokesperson for the Kurdistan regional government.