Kurdistan Region: Five rigged drones shot down west of Erbil

Erbil, July 24 (KUNA) -- The Counter-Terrorism Agency in the Kurdistan Region announced on Friday that it had shot down five explosive-laden drones in the skies over the capital, Erbil, which were launched from the western part of the province, with no casualties reported. In a statement, the agency said that coalition forces intercepted and shot down the drones in the morning, noting that they were headed toward Erbil. It emphasized that the incident resulted in no injuries or fatalities. Meanwhile, the Erbil Civil Defense Directorate said its teams extinguished a fire that broke out in dry grass and shrubs within the Sibran residential complex, located near Erbil Airport, following the fall of drone debris, confirming that no injuries were recorded. In the same context, Ahmed Hoshiyar, director of Erbil International Airport, confirmed that air traffic continued normally, denying that flights were affected by the attacks that occurred in the area early Friday morning. Hoshiyar noted that the attacks did not impact flight schedules, with takeoffs and landings proceeding smoothly without any delays or cancellations. (End) S.B.R. / M.N.F.