Explosions were heard near Irbil International Airport on Wednesday evening as Iraq grappled with a nationwide power outage and rising security tensions, prompting the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to urge American citizens to leave the country immediately.
Multiple loud blasts were reported, particularly around the airport zone that hosts troops from the U.S.-led coalition. The city is also home to a major U.S. consulate complex and has seen repeated drone interceptions since the outbreak of the broader regional conflict.
The incidents came as Iraq’s electricity ministry announced that the country had suffered a complete shutdown of its national power grid. Authorities said the blackout affected all provinces and that technical teams were working to determine the cause while attempting to restore power stations and transmission lines.
Officials did not immediately identify the reason for the outage, though parts of Iraq have faced repeated security incidents since the escalation of the war involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
Amid the deteriorating security environment, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad issued a message urging Americans to leave Iraq as soon as conditions allow. The embassy advised U.S. citizens to shelter in place until it is safe to depart.
The developments underline growing fears that the regional conflict could further destabilize Iraq, where U.S. facilities and allied positions have repeatedly been targeted by drones and other attacks in recent days.
