Iraq's biggest gas field just got bombed and half a region lost power

A drone just hit one of Iraq's biggest gas fields.

And now 2.8 gigawatts of power are gone from the grid in Iraqi Kurdistan.

So what happened? An explosive-laden drone hit the Khor Mor gas field a few hours ago, around 11pm local time, in Sulaimaniyah province. That's according to a Kurdish security contact who spoke to AFP.

A gas storage facility took a hit too. Every single worker there was sent into shelters, in case more drones came.

Here's why this field matters so much. Khor Mor supplies the fuel that runs most of Kurdistan's power stations. Knock it out, and you knock out power across the whole region.

Five cities are now short on fuel because of this one strike. Erbil. Sulaimaniyah. Bazian. Chamchamal. Duhok. All of them relying on whatever power their grid operators can find elsewhere.

Omed Ahmed is the spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Electricity. He says the ministry is leaning on the Dokan and Darbandikhan hydroelectric dams, plus other fuel sources, just to keep hospitals and water stations running.

Kurdistan's Ministry of Natural Resources and its Ministry of Electricity put out a joint statement. They say quote "terrorist attack".

Ali al-Zaidi is Iraq's Prime Minister. He says early checks show no one was killed or hurt.

And here's the thing. Nobody has said who did this attack.

But that's actually the pattern. For years, Kurdistan's oilfields and gas sites have been hit by rockets and drones. Local authorities keep pointing at Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq. And nobody has ever been made to admit it.