Baghdad, March 18 (QNA) - The Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday evening that a fire broke out inside Kirkuk Air Base in the north of the country after it was targeted by a projectile attack.

In a statement, the ministry said the base was subjected to a criminal attack with a projectile, which resulted in a fire. It noted that technical teams worked to contain and fully control the blaze, preventing the spread of damage and avoiding any human casualties.

The ministry affirmed that the base is a purely Iraqi installation housing squadrons of Iraqi aircraft and staffed entirely by national personnel, including pilots and technicians, with no presence of any foreign personnel or staff.

It pointed out that targeting it constitutes a direct attack on the capabilities of the Iraqi Army Aviation and threatens to inflict significant losses on the aerial system, at a time when the Ministry of Defense has for years continued its intensive efforts to rebuild the Iraqi Air Force, develop Army Aviation, and equip it with the latest capabilities. (QNA)