March 5 (Reuters) – A drone attack struck an oilfield operated by U.S. firm HKN Energy in Iraq’s Kurdistan region on Thursday, causing a fire and halting production, security sources and an oilfield engineer said.
The Sarsang field produces about 30,000 barrels of oil per day and is operated by HKN Energy, which has a 62% stake. HKN is a privately held U.S. oil and gas company owned by Hillwood Energy, part of the Hillwood group founded by Ross Perot Jr.
No group claimed responsibility, but Kurdish officials accused Iraqi militias allied with Iran of carrying out the attack.
If so, the attack would mean Iran‑aligned Iraqi militias, who have vowed to retaliate for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, have expanded targets from U.S. military bases in Iraqi Kurdistan to U.S. energy interests.
Production at the field was halted as a precaution after an explosion at its power unit, the engineer told Reuters.
Kurdistan regional authorities confirmed the attack and said it was carried out by two drones.
Some energy companies operating in Iraqi Kurdistan shut oil and gas production at their fields as a precaution after the United States and Israel launched strikes on neighbouring Iran.
(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Additional reporting by Yomna Ehab; Editing by Mark Porter and Cynthia Osterman)
