BAGHDAD, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi top officials condemned Sunday the missile attack on its semi-autonomous Kurdish regional capital Erbil.
Iraqi President Barham Salih said on his official Twitter page that the attack on Erbil is "a condemned terrorist crime," and all Iraqis must unite behind the security forces, consolidate the state, and combat the terrorists.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi discussed over phone with the regional Prime Minister Masrour Barzani the development of the security situation in the region.
"Our security forces will launch an investigation into the attack, and we will face any harm that would target the security of our cities and the safety of our citizens," al-Kadhimi said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said in a statement that "UNAMI strongly condemns the heinous missile attack on Erbil," and called on the Iraqi citizens to stand against any act that violates Iraq's sovereignty and aims to undermine its stability and unity.
"Perpetrators of this cowardly attack must be held to account," it added.
Earlier in the day, the Kurdish regional Interior Ministry said in a statement that a total of 12 long-range ballistic missiles were fired at 1:00 a.m. local time (2200 GMT Saturday) from the east outside Iraqi borders towards the new building of the U.S. consulate in Erbil and the surrounding residential areas.
The attack resulted in the wounding of a civilian, along with damage to several buildings, according to a statement.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack on the relatively peaceful Kurdistan region.
U.S. forces stationed at Erbil's international airport complex have in the past come under fire from rockets and booby-trapped drones by unknown militias. ■
