Iraq's Erbil in the crossfire with drones and power cuts

Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region hosts US-led coalition troops, and its capital, Erbil, is home to a major US consulate complex, making it a target of the war in the Middle East, triggered by the joint US-Israeli strikes Saturday on Iran.

For days, loud bangs have been heard in Erbil as US air defences repeatedly intercepted drones.

Daily labourer Karwan Salim, 35, told AFP: "The United States and its allies did well with this effective air defence system. Without it, the situation in Erbil would be catastrophic.

"May God grant them success and let them continue."

Iranian proxies in the region also joined the conflict to defend the Islamic republic, including Iraqi armed groups who vowed not to remain neutral and claimed responsibility for drone attacks on US bases in Iraq.

"How did a war with the US reach Erbil and Dubai?" Salim asked. "To the Iranian regime, we say: surrender and end this."

Erbil's civil defence issued safety guidelines for citizens in case missile fragments or burning ordnance fall near their homes.

Shopkeeper Abdul Rahman Ismail, 72, said: "People are afraid to leave their homes during the day, and even more so at night. It is Iran and those they support behind all this."

Nurse Salar Burhan, 27, said drone attacks were an everyday occurrence and feared an escalation.

"We don't know why they're dragging us into this war," he added.
'Panic-buying'
Pro-Iran groups warned of a prolonged war of attrition and the powerful Kataeb Hezbollah faction vowed that it would not allow "any American presence in the region, especially in Iraq."

The group specifically warned the Kurdistan region against "conspiring with the enemy forces".

Kurdish authorities enjoy strong ties with the US, which led the 2003 invasion that toppled longtime Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein, who had persecuted the Kurds.

US-led coalition forces stayed in Kurdistan after withdrawing in December from bases within Iraq's federal territory.

Beyond drones, residents in Erbil are worried about power cuts.

Erbil started recently enjoying uninterrupted, round-the-clock electricity and had finally moved beyond private generators.

But the war has dragged the city backwards.

Power cuts have returned, after a major gas complex halted its supplies to power plants in the region as a preventive measure.

The Khor Mor complex, which supplies most of Kurdistan's power stations and is run by the Emirati company Dana Gas, has been hit several times in recent years in attacks blamed on pro-Iran Iraqi groups.

"Without electricity, there is no business," said shopkeeper Khalid Ahmed, 70. "When the lights are out, I have to rely on a small battery-powered lamp to keep the shop open."

The shops are full goods but "people are terrified... and panic-buying everything", he added. "War is truly terrible for everyone."

While shopping, 37-year-old Media Aziz said: "We bought dairy and meat supplies, but we are worried they will spoil in the freezer because of the power outage.

"We can cope with everything but without electricity, life becomes difficult."