Italy says troops leaving Iraqi Kurdistan base temporarily after attack
ROME/ERBIL,— A missile struck an Italian military base in Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan overnight, though no one was hurt, Italy’s defense ministry said Thursday.
The ministry said in a message posted on X shortly after midnight that a missile had hit the installation used by Italian forces in the regional capital.
It said there were no casualties among Italian personnel and that all troops were safe.
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto remained in close contact with senior military commanders following the incident, the ministry added.
In a separate post on X, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italian soldiers had moved into a bunker during the attack and that all members of the contingent were “well and safe.”
Italy said later on Thursday it is temporarily removing all personnel from a military base in Iraqi Kurdistan that was targeted in a drone attack, completing a withdrawal that had already begun before the incident.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told the TG1 news program that plans to pull back forces from the base were already in place prior to the strike on Wednesday.
The attack did not cause any injuries, he said.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also confirmed that Italian personnel are being withdrawn from the installation as part of the temporary move.
Crosetto said the departure of troops was linked to an earlier decision to reduce the presence at the base and that the process was already underway when the drone attack occurred.
The ministers described the step as a temporary measure.
Italy has about 300 troops stationed in Erbil, according to information on the defense ministry’s website. Their mission is to train Kurdish security forces in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Local officials say the city has faced repeated aerial threats in recent weeks.
The governor of the province, Omed Khoshnaw, said nearly 200 drones have been launched toward Erbil since tensions escalated after the United States and Israel carried out joint airstrikes against Iran on February 28, 2026.
Iran later responded to the strikes with waves of missile and drone attacks aimed at several Gulf states, including Iraq and the Kurdistan region.
Khoshnaw said allied air defense systems intercepted all of the drones before they could reach their targets.
On Wednesday, Khoshnaw said the exact number of drones launched toward Erbil had not been fully confirmed but was estimated at around 200 so far.
On Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates said a drone strike targeted its consulate general in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The attack caused damage to the building, but no one was hurt, the UAE reported.
(With files from Reuters | AFP)
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