Iraqi Kurdish PM says Iran attacking civilians, accusations of Israeli “spy HQ” are baseless

PHOTO CAPTION: Representational photo — Members of the Iranian Army take part in the annual Zolphaghar 99 military drill in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, September 7, 2020. (West Asia News Agency via Reuters)

By Maha El Dahan

DAVOS (Reuters) - Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday accused Iran of killing innocent civilians in its strikes on the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards earlier said they attacked an Israeli spy centre in the region.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos after the attack, Barzani said the Iranian allegations were baseless and added that now was not the time for U.S forces to withdraw from the country.

"What's surprising - we are not a part of this conflict. We don’t know why Iran is retaliating against civilians of Kurdistan, especially in Erbil," Barzani told reporters.

At least four civilians were killed and six wounded in the Iranian missiles strikes, the Kurdistan government's security council said.

Iraq condemned Iran's "aggression" on Erbil and recalled its ambassador from Tehran for discussions, according to a statement by the country's foreign ministry.

Asked about recent calls in Iraq to remove the U.S.-led international military coalition from the country, Barzani said: "The U.S. is in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government and their mission is to fight terrorism."

"We don't think terrorism has ended and last night's event is an indication that instability in the region is still very much at stake," he added.

The U.S. has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq on a mission that it says advises and assists local forces trying to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large parts of both countries before being defeated.



(Reporting by Maha El Dahan; Writing by Nadine Awadalla and Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Michael Georgy, Andrew Heavens and Alex Richardson)