Iraq's Basra Oil says rockets fell near oil sites, no damage or casualties

Dubai — Iraq's state-run Basra Oil Co. said Monday four rockets fell near its oil facilities in the city of Basra without causing damage or casualties.

The attacks took place at 3:30 am local time (0030 GMT) on the Barjasiyah site and are of unknown origin, the company said in a statement.

The Security Media Cell of the Prime Minister's Office confirmed on Twitter that the Katyusha rocket attacks took place near a Halliburton site in Barjasiyah, without causing any damage.

The security forces also found a launch pad containing 11 unfired rockets in a nearby area, the Security Media Cell added.

"We are aware of the incident but our facilities or employees were not involved," a Halliburton spokesperson told S&P Global Platts.

Eni, which operates the nearby Zubair field, also said there was no damage. "All personnel at the field are safe and production hasn't been affected,” a spokesperson told Platts.

Iraq, OPEC's second largest oil producer, has been rocked by sporadic rocket attacks, usually involving US and foreign targets.

INTENSIFIED ATTACKS

Last year, Exxon Mobil evacuated some of its staff due to the fragile security situation.

In June last year, rockets also fell on an oil site in Basra housing a number of multinational oil employees, including those of Exxon Mobil.

On March 11, two US citizens and a UK national were killed in a rocket attack on a military base in Taji.

Attacks on US and foreign targets intensified after the US killed key Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in an air strike in Baghdad in January.

(Updates with Security Cell, Eni comments.)