Iraqi airport hit by explosion amid Kurdish conflict.
An explosion occurred near the Suleimaniyah International Airport in northern Iraq's Kurdish region, days after Turkey closed its airspace to flights to and from the airport, citing an alleged increase in Kurdish militant activity. The cause of the blast is under investigation, and officials deny that the leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces was the target of a Turkish drone attack. The Kurdish regional government in Iraq blamed local authorities in Suleimaniyah for provoking the "attack" on the airport. The incident follows a long-standing dispute over the independent export of oil by the Kurdish region.