Iraqi Kurdistan: drone strikes the Khor Mor gas field after a Kataib Hezbollah reference – production halted, nearly 2,700 MW lost

A drone struck the Khor Mor natural gas field, in the Chamchamal district of Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan, shortly after 11 p.m. on Sunday, November 8. The attack caused a large fire, completely halted production and left much of the area without electricity. It came after the pro-Iranian Kataib Hezbollah publicly referred to Khor Mor.

UAE-based Dana Gas, which operates the field, confirmed on Monday, November 9, in a statement to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange that a drone hit the facility. The fire has been extinguished, no worker was injured and “production operations remain suspended until damage is assessed.” The company is coordinating with the Kurdistan Regional Government and the federal government in Baghdad. The Regional Government’s ministries of Natural Resources and Electricity called the attack a terrorist act.

The strike hit the liquefied petroleum gas unit in the section workers call the “Old Field,” a spot not previously hit. A siren sounded before impact and staff were able to take shelter.

Nearly 2,700 megawatts lost

The consequences showed immediately on the grid. A source in the Regional Government’s Electricity Ministry says the gas supply to power stations, more than 600 million cubic feet a day, fell to zero at 23:03. Electricity generation dropped from above 3,700 to about 1,000 megawatts, a loss of 2,500 to 2,700 megawatts, while ministry spokesman Omed Ahmed had warned of a loss of up to 2,800 megawatts. Stations supplying Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok are affected, with power expected for only five to six hours a day in some areas.

To avoid a general blackout, the ministry is activating the hydroelectric plants at the Dukan and Darbandikhan dams and units running on alternative fuels, with priority for hospitals and water stations. “Full normalisation depends solely on the resumption of supply from Khor Mor,” Mr Ahmed said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaidi ordered the formation of a joint investigative committee with the Kurdistan authorities. An Iraqi army intelligence officer, field guards and soldiers at a checkpoint assess that the drone came from the direction of Tuz Khurmatu in Salahuddin province, an area where Popular Mobilization Forces are stationed. No official finding on the perpetrators has been announced and no organisation has claimed responsibility.

On Sunday, Abu Mujahid al-Assaf of Kataib Hezbollah sharply criticised Mr al-Zaidi, who has committed to disarming armed groups. He said the organisation does not want “to open the files of Khor Mor and of the incitement to have it hit to blackmail the UAE.” The field had also been attacked in August 2023 and in February and December 2025.