ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The United Nations (UN) and its Security Council should “see the seriousness” of the rocket attacks that targeted Erbil on Monday night, the Kurdistan Region’s president Nechirvan Barzani urged the international organization.

“We urge the United Nations and the Security Council to see the seriousness of this terrorist action,” Barzani stressed, in order to counter “threats to the people of the Kurdistan Region through encouraging the Federal Government in Baghdad to implement the constitution, especially article 140 on the disputed territories.”

Around 9:30 p.m. on Monday, approximately 14 107 mm rockets were fired at the Kurdish capital, with some landing in the US-led Coalition base at Erbil International Airport and a residential area of the city.

The attack immediately drew widespread condemnation as countries expressed their support to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

Barzani also urged the Iraqi premier – who’s also the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces – and the general command of Coalition Forces in Iraq to “resume the important coordination with the Kurdistan Region,” which he said are “essential” for the elimination of terror threats across the country, the statement noted.

Erbil-Baghdad relations have long been fraught with disputes, which neared a total breakdown after the Kurdistan Region’s 2017 independence referendum. The vote was followed by the Iraqi forces and Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) militias attacking disputed areas such as Kirkuk to oust Kurdish Peshmerga forces.

Since then, the Islamic State has taken advantage of the resulting security vacuum to stage attacks on nearby towns and cities.

Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution lays out a method to resolve the status of those disputed territories.

“Lack of coordination and the armed groups operating outside the Federal Government’s authority have increasingly led to regional instability and pose constant threats to the security of the Kurdistan Region,” Barzani added on Tuesday.

Monday’s attack killed one person and injured eight others, according to the Region’s interior ministry, which said the rockets had also caused material damage to civilian and commercial sites, including homes.