What is Iraqi Kurdistan, Target of Recent Iranian Missile Strike?

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) carried out attacks on Iraqi Kurdistan’s capital Erbil on Tuesday, using ballistic missiles to target what it claimed were anti-Iranian groups. What do we know about this region, where a new wave of escalation has started?

Autonomous Region

The Kurdistan Region is an autonomous administrative area within Iraq with its capital in Erbil. Iraqi Kurdistan has its own government and parliament, and mostly uses the Kurdish language.

The area is situated in northern part of Iraq. Iraqi Kurdistan is bordered by Iran to the east, by Turkiye to the north, and by Syria to the west.

The Iraqi government officially recognized Iraqi Kurdistan’s autonomous status in 2005, after the American-led 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq. When the new Constitution of Iraq was adopted, the US occupation forces lobbied for the legal status of autonomy to be secured for Erbil. Baghdad had to agree. The autonomous status of Kurdistan is recognized by the Constitution of Iraq.

Erbil has its own US consulate, along with offices of a number of international companies including Exxon, TotalEnergies, Chevron, Gulf Keystone Petroleum and Marathon Oil, which are working directly here.

Kurdish National Resources

According to the autonomous Ministry of Natural Resources, there are 5.67 trillion cubic meters of natural gas reserves under its territory — around 3 percent of global reserves. Moreover, Iraqi Kurdistan's oil reserves total 45 billion barrels out of the total 112 billion barrels of Iraqi oil. The Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline to Turkiye passes through Iraqi Kurdistan.

Baghdad - Erbil Relations

In 2017 the Kurdistan Regional Government held a referendum on independence with over 92 per cent of votes cast in favor of the move. However, the Iraqi government had not authorized the vote and refused to recognise the result. Armed hostilities broke out before Baghdad and Erbil acme to terms, including oil and gas issues on exports and income distribution, with Kurdistan giving up its plan to separate from Iraq.

However, it seems the morning sun never lasts a day. Today Baghdad and Erbil have opposing views on one sensitive issue.

On January 5, a day after a US drone strike on the headquarters of the Hashd al-Shaabi militia in Baghdad, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani said that US troops should leave the country. But Kurdish PM Masrour Barzani backed keeping a US military presence in the autonomous region in a public statement five days later.