Iraqi security forces on Friday announced an operation in western Nineveh and Salahaddin provinces to track down those responsible for a spate of drone attacks on oil, military, and civilian sites in the Kurdistan Region.

A US-led coalition was formed in 2014 to combat ISIS and launched a sustained military campaign across Iraq and Syria. The group’s territorial rule officially ended in March 2019, when US-backed Kurdish forces captured Baghouz, the last ISIS-held town in eastern Syria, though raids on remaining hideouts continue.

The US and UK Embassies in Baghdad have issued statements regarding recent drone attacks targeting the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. “The United States condemns the recent drone attacks throughout Iraq, including the July 14 and July 15 drone attacks on critical infrastructure at the Khormala and Sarsang oil fields in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region,

Iraqi Kurdistan will resume oil exports through a pipeline to Turkey after a two-year halt, Iraq's federal government said on Thursday despite a fourth day of drone attacks that have shut down half of the region's output.

No group has claimed responsibility, but the attacks have heightened tensions between Baghdad and Kurdish authorities, raising concerns about the region’s energy security.

The UK condemns the recent drone attacks across Iraq, including those this week targeting energy infrastructure in the KRI [Kurdistan Region],” the embassy statement read.

The State Department says it is ending its ordered departure status for U.S. diplomats and other government employees at its embassy and consulate in Iraq. Spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Secretary of State Marco Rubio decided on July 17 to lower the security alert level for staffers at the Baghdad embassy and consulate in Irbil.

Tankers could soon be lifting Iraqi oil from the Turkish port of Ceyhan once again as a key pipeline reopens. The government said exports will resume from Kurdistan despite four days of mysterious drone attacks on oil fields that have shut down half of the region's production.

Iraq approved a plan for its semi-autonomous Kurdish region to transfer oil to Baghdad, a key step toward resuming exports that have been halted for more than two years.