May 20, 2022
The Iraqi parliamentary committee investigating the Pasdar missile attack on the Iraqi Kurdish capital city of Erbil says it has found no evidence of any Israeli spying activities, rebutting Iran’s justification for its attack.
The Pasdaran fired 10 to 12 missiles into Erbil March 13, saying it was destroying an Israeli “strategic center of activity” in the city. Four of the missiles hit the compound of one of the wealthiest Kurdish businessmen, Baz Karim Barzinji, who runs an oil firm. (See story on first page of last issue of the Iran Times.) Iran later said that house was the Israeli “center” it had targeted.
Shortly after the attack, the Iraqi parliament formed a committee composed of six members of parliament “to investigate the attack and its damages.”
The committee report issued April 25 said, “After inspecting, investigating and visiting the site of the attack and neighboring buildings by the fact-finding committee, the committee did not find any evidence or suspicious tools on the site that indicates the presence of devices, wires or tools used for spying purposes.”
Reporters who earlier had visited the house said all they found was a family residence, complete with family photos scattered around by the missile explosions.
The parliamentary report said the attack was a clear violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, a firm repudiation of the Islamic Republic, something Iraqi politicians normally avoid.
“The Iraqi civilian who was harmed as a result of the external missile attack has the right to take legal measures to request financial and moral compensation from the Iranian side,” the report added. Earlier reports had said two people were injured by the missiles, but the report cites only one.
Ahmed al-Sahaf, spokesperson for Iraq’s Foreign Ministry, stated that during his recent visit to Iran, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein requested that Tehran provide evidence justifying the missile attack, to which the Iranian side provided an insufficient response.
“The Iranian side presented a number of justifications, while no clear positions or evidence were presented to justify the recent strike,” Sahaf told the Rudaw news agency in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Sahaf added that Iran’s “deep” and historic relations with Iraq does not allow the country to initiate violent operations that violate the sovereignty of Iraq.