Top Diplomats From US, 4 European Partners Condemn Erbil Attack

�WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th February, 2021) The top diplomats of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy in a joint statement condemned the rocket attacks in Erbil and vowed to hold those responsible accountable.

"We the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America condemn in the strongest terms the February 15 rocket attack in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region," the statement said on Tuesday. "Together, our governments will support the Government of Iraq's investigation into the attack with a view to holding accountable those responsible.

We are united in our view that attacks on US and Coalition personnel and facilities will not be tolerated."

On Monday, a dozen rockets hit the Erbil Air Base in Iraqi Kurdistan, killing a civilian contractor and hurting nine other people. A Shiite militant group reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attack was the first on a Western military or diplomatic facility in Iraq in nearly two months, following a spate of rocket strikes in Baghdad in late 2020.

Iran has denied the accusations by Iraqi officials that Tehran played a role in Monday's rocket strike, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.