Drone strikes shut oilfields in Iraq's Kurdistan due to infrastructure damage
It was not certain who had carried out the attacks and no group has claimed responsibility for them.
Gulf Keystone Petroleum said it had shut production at Shaikan field, one of the largest oil discoveries in the Iraq's Kurdistan region, due to attacks in the field's vicinity.
'As a safety precaution, GKP has decided to temporarily shut-in production and has taken measures to protect staff. The company's assets have not been impacted,' the company said in a statement. Gulf Keystone has a production sharing contract with Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) with an 80 percent working interest in the license of Shaikan, located around 60 kilometers (37 miles) to the northwest of capital Irbil.
'A number of terrorist attacks were carried out by a bomb-dropping drone on the oil fields of Tawke, Peshkabour, and Ain Sifni in the independent administration of Zakho and the district of Shekhan in Duhok province,' KRG's ministry of natural resources said.
The attacks aimed to harm the economic infrastructure of the Kurdistan region and threaten the safety of civilian workers in the energy sector, the ministry said.
Norwegian oil and gas firm DNO, which operates the Tawke and Peshkabir oilfields in the Zakho area that borders Turkiye, said it temporarily suspended production at the fields following explosions that caused no injuries.
'The damage assessment is underway and the company expects to restart production once the assessment is completed,' DNO said. DNO's shares fell around 5 percent after the attack and were poised to see their worst day since June 25.
The fields were attacked by three bomb-laden drones, but there were no casualties, only material damage, Kurdistan's counter-terrorism service posted on Facebook.
The Ain Sifni oilfield, operated by US-based Hunt Oil, was also attacked later in the Dohuk region of northern Iraq.
There were no further details on the attack. On Tuesday, a drone attack halted production at the Sarsang oilfield in Iraq's Kurdistan region hours before its US operator signed a deal with Iraq to develop another field.
Iraqi Kurdistan security sources said initial investigations suggested the drone came from areas under the control of Iran-backed militias. On Monday, two drones fell on the Khurmala oilfield near Irbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, damaging water pipes at the field.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
17 hours ago
- Arab News
Ukraine hits military targets and pipeline in Russia
Ukraine's SBU security service said the strikes, carried out Friday night by long-distance drones, hit a military airfield in the southwestern town of Primorsko-AkhtarskThey caused a fire in an areas where Iranian-built Shahed drones were storedKYIV: Ukraine said Saturday it hit military targets and a gas pipeline in drone attacks in Russia, where local authorities said three people were killed and two others SBU security service said the strikes, carried out Friday night by long-distance drones, hit a military airfield in the southwestern town of caused a fire in an areas where Iranian-built Shahed drones — relied on by Russia to attack Ukraine — were stored, the SBU said the strikes also hit a company, Elektropribor, in Russia's southern Penza region, which it said 'works for the Russian military-industrial complex,' making military digital networks, aviation devices, armored vehicles and governor for the Penza region, Oleg Melnichenko, said on Telegram that one woman had been killed and two other people were wounded in that defense ministry said its air-defense systems had destroyed 112 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory — 34 over the Rostov region — in a nearly nine-hour period, from Friday night to Saturday elderly man was killed inside a house that caught fire due to falling drone debris in the Samara region, governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev posted on the Rostov region, a guard at an industrial facility was killed after a drone attack and a fire in one of the site's buildings, acting Rostov governor Yuri Sliusar said.'The military repelled a massive air attack during the night,' destroying drones over seven districts, Sliusar posted on has regularly used drones to hit targets inside Russia as it fights back against Moscow's full-scale invasion, launched in February too, has increasingly deployed the unmanned aerial devices as part of its AFP analysis published on Friday showed that Russia's forces in July launched an unprecedented number of drones, 6,297 of figure included decoy drones sent into Ukraine's skies in efforts to saturate the country's air-defense Ukraine's central-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian drone attacks Friday night wounded three people, governor Sergiy Lysak wrote on buildings, homes and cars were damaged, he forces have claimed advances in Dnipropetrovsk, recently announcing the capture of two villages there, part of Moscow's accelerated capture of territory in July, according to AFP's analysis of data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).Kyiv denies any Russian presence in the Dnipropetrovsk President Vladimir Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire in the more than three-year conflict, said Friday that he wanted peace but that his demands for ending Moscow's military offensive were 'unchanged.'Those demands include that Ukraine abandon territory and end ambitions to join President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, said only Putin could end the war and renewed his call for a meeting between the two leaders.'The United States has proposed this. Ukraine has supported it. What is needed is Russia's readiness,' he wrote on X.
Arab News
19 hours ago
- Arab News
Estithmar Holding reports record results for H1 2025
Revealing an exceptional performance across all key financial metrics, Estithmar Holding Q.P.S.C. has announced its financial results for the six-month period ending June 30, 2025. The company reported revenue of 3.07 billion Qatari riyals ($844 million), an 87 percent year-on-year increase. The gross profit soared by 134 percent to 1.05 billion Qatari riyals, while EBITDA rose 97 percent to 732 million Qatari riyals compared to H1 2024. The net profit reached 465 million Qatari riyals, up 97 percent year-on-year, while earnings per share doubled, reaching 0.13 Qatari riyals. While Estithmar Holding continues its upward trajectory in its financial and operational indicators across all its financial disclosures, this remarkable leap in results for H1 2025 is mainly attributed to increased revenue through its international expansions across its four sectors in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Algeria, Libya, Maldives, Jordan, and Kazakhstan. The company's enhanced operational performance also underpinned an EBITDA of 732 million Qatari riyals, an increase of 97 percent, driven by disciplined financial and operational policies, which improved the profit margin. 'Our exceptional first half performance demonstrates the strength of our strategy. By focusing on value creation, sector leadership and disciplined capital allocation, we have delivered greater operational efficiency, robust revenue growth and margin expansion,' said Juan Leon, group CEO of Estithmar Holding. He added: 'Sustained and balanced growth across our four clusters remains central to our investment strategy. We continue to drive innovation and adopt advanced operational technologies. With a distinctive blend of capabilities and expertise, Estithmar Holding is well placed to deliver exceptional stakeholder value and extend our footprint globally.' Currently, Estithmar Holding's operations span seven countries in addition to Qatar. The health care sector has expanded to Algeria, developing the Algerian Qatari German Hospital, Iraq through the management of Al-Imam Al-Hassan Al-Mujtaba Hospital and Al-Nasiriyah Teaching Hospital in Karbala and Di-Qar governorates, and to Libya, managing Misrata Heart and Vascular Center. The real estate development and tourism division features major projects such as Rixos Baghdad Hotel and Residences in Iraq and the Rosewood Resort in the Maldives, both progressing at an accelerated pace. The services division has expanded its operations across Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Maldives, Libya, Jordan, and Kazakhstan, sustaining revenue growth through operational diversification and scale. Specialized contracting activities have also expanded in Saudi Arabia, having been awarded major projects such as Red Sea Airport, five hotels in Shura Island, Sindalah Yacht Club and others, besides projects in the Maldives, and Iraq. Record share performance Estithmar Holding's share showed robust and sustained upward momentum during H1 2025, climbing 77 percent. This indicates a transition from steady accumulation to a sharp upward trend, driven by increased investor confidence, ongoing profit growth, and the company's expansion activities. The company's share performance reflects its sound management and operational policies focused on enhancing investor value. This aligns with the company's long-standing commitments expressed in previous statements, alongside the launch of diversified projects and expansion initiatives.
Asharq Al-Awsat
a day ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
3 People Die in Overnight Ukrainian Drone Strikes on Russia
Ukrainian drone attacks overnight into Saturday killed three people, Russian officials said Saturday. Russia's Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted or destroyed 112 drones across eight Russian regions and the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. A drone attack on the Rostov region, on the border with Ukraine, killed one person, acting governor Yuri Slyusar said. Further from the front line, a woman was killed and two other people wounded in a drone strike on business premises in the Penza region, according to regional governor Oleg Melnichenko. In the Samara region, falling drone debris sparked a fire that killed an elderly resident, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said. According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched 53 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight into Saturday. It said that air defenses shot down or jammed 45 drones. Eleven people were wounded in an overnight drone strike on the Kharkiv region, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said Saturday. The reciprocal drone strikes followed a day of mourning in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday, after a Russian drone and missile attack killed 31 people, including five children, and wounded over 150, The Associated Press said. The continued attacks come after US President Donald Trump on Tuesday gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a shorter deadline — Aug. 8 — for peace efforts to make progress. Trump said Thursday that special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Russia to push Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in its war with Ukraine and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made.
