Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called recent drone strikes on oil sites in the Kurdistan Region a dangerous escalation that threatens to deepen tensions between Erbil and Baghdad. These attacks have disrupted oil production and worsened the ongoing salary crisis in the region.
Over the past few weeks, nearly 20 drone and rocket attacks have hit the Kurdistan Region, including direct strikes on oil fields. Kurdish officials accuse the Popular Mobilization Forces of carrying out the attacks. Baghdad has firmly denied those accusations.
In its report, HRW stated that the drone strikes are part of a long-running conflict over oil control and revenue distribution. Since May, Baghdad has suspended salary payments to public sector workers in the Kurdistan Region, adding to the crisis.
The attacks have seriously damaged infrastructure. Oil output has dropped by around 70 percent, halting production at multiple fields. This cut has also affected electricity generation, reducing fuel supplies across the region.
Sarah Sanbar, HRW’s Iraq researcher, warned that civilians are paying the price. She said the strikes have weakened the government’s ability to provide power and basic services.
Aziz Ahmad, deputy chief of staff to Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, blamed the attacks on militias operating under Baghdad’s budget. He said nearly 200,000 barrels of daily production have been lost due to these drone attacks.
The Khor Mor gas field in Sulaimani has been hit at least nine times since 2023. One drone strike in April 2024 killed four workers and stopped production for several days. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had pledged an investigation, but no results have been released so far.
HRW also condemned Baghdad’s repeated use of public salaries as a bargaining tool in oil negotiations. For years, Kurdistan’s public workers have faced payment delays, even while federal workers in other regions are paid regularly.
Sanbar explained that healthcare and education have both suffered. Many doctors now split time between public and private sectors, giving better care only to those who can pay. Teachers have gone on strike due to unpaid salaries, leaving many children out of school.
Local businesses are also struggling. With 40 to 60 percent of the workforce in the public sector, reduced spending has pushed families into deeper poverty. Public anger toward Baghdad is rising.
Earlier this month, Erbil and Baghdad signed a new agreement on oil exports and financial transfers. While Baghdad has sent May’s salary payments, June and July salaries remain unpaid. Both sides continue to blame each other for the delays.