BAGHDAD (AP) – Kuwait suspended flights to Iraq for a week starting yesterday citing security fears after a rocket attack targetted Baghdad international airport. Iraqi authorities, meanwhile, announced an attacker had been apprehended.
Kuwait Airways, the country’s main carrier, said in a statement on Saturday that flights to Iraq were temporarily suspended based on instructions from the Kuwaiti Civil Aviation Authority due to “current conditions”.
Six rockets struck the Baghdad airport last week damaging two commercial planes belonging to Iraqi Airways, the main national airline. The incident marked an escalation in rocket and drone attacks often targetting the United States (US) and it’s allies, as well as Iraqi government institutions. The attacks have been blamed on Iran-backed militia groups.
Iraqi authorities said in a statement late on Saturday they had apprehended a person allegedly behind the airport attack.
The individual was arrested at a checkpoint near the northern province of Kirkuk en route to Irbil in the Kurdish-run semi-autonomous region. The statement provided no further details.
