Kuwait Airways has temporarily suspended flights to Iraq over security fears after a rocket attack that struck Baghdad international airport on 28 January.
Kuwait Airways, the country's national carrier, said the decision was taken in line with instructions issued by Kuwait's Directorate General of Civil Aviation. It is not immediately clear how long the suspension is supposed to last, but the airline operates flights to just one Iraqi city, Najaf, which is located around 160km south of the capital, Baghdad.
The suspension follows an attack that saw a number of rockets land within the perimeter of the Baghdad International Airport, resulting in damage to an airport runway and two civilian aircraft, Iraq's civilian aviation authority said, although there were no interruptions to the flight schedule. Iraq's defense system intercepted several other missiles, according to the state-run Iraq News Agency (INA).
"This treacherous terrorist operation comes as an extension of a series of missile or drone attacks on civilian and military installations in Iraq…in frantic attempts to break the prestige of the state", said Iraqi prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi after the incident. He called on "countries friendly to Iraq" not to place restrictions on travel or air transportation to and from Iraq.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan and Iran all have condemned the attack, which has not yet been claimed by any group.
