Conflict & Security
Erbil airport blasts were training, Kurdish forces say
Iraqi Kurdish counterterrorism forces said explosions heard on Sunday near Erbil airport resulted from military training and security activities and posed no danger.
AFP journalists heard an explosion near the airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region. An AFP journalist also reported seeing grey smoke rising from near the airport.
Local Kurdish media reported that the US-led coalition had detonated ordnance in the area.
US-led coalition troops are scheduled to complete their withdrawal from Iraq by September 30 after ending their mission against the Islamic State group. They had already withdrawn from other bases in Iraq in January and had begun pulling out from Kurdistan. They are now deployed only at Erbil airport.
The presence of US-led troops has long been disputed by Iraqi authorities and Tehran-backed armed factions. Coalition forces have downed many explosive-laden drones over Erbil and its airport in recent years.
Update
Iraqi Kurdish counterterrorism forces said the explosions resulted from military training and security activities and caused no danger.
Local Kurdish media reported that the US-led coalition had detonated ordnance in the area.
An AFP journalist reported seeing grey smoke rising from near the airport.
US-led coalition troops are scheduled to complete their withdrawal from Iraq by September 30 and are now deployed only at Erbil airport.
Source note: AFP news report published on 20 September 2026 at 15:22:17 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The supplied information does not independently confirm what caused the explosions.
Source
AFP news report published on .