LONDON: Explosions heard Sunday in Iraq’s Erbil province were linked to military exercises and security activity and posed no danger, local counterterrorism authorities said.

One explosion was heard near Erbil International Airport, where US-led coalition forces remain stationed in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, AFP journalists reported. An AFP journalist saw gray smoke rising from the area near the airport.

Iraqi Kurdish counterterrorism forces said the blasts resulted from “military training and security activities,” adding that there was no threat to residents.

Local media reported that the US-led coalition had detonated ordnance in the area.

No casualties or damage were reported.

The incident came as the US-led coalition completes its withdrawal from Iraq, ending a mission launched in 2014 to help Iraqi and Kurdish forces fight Daesh. 

Coalition forces have already withdrawn from Iraqi territory and are now leaving the Kurdistan region, where their remaining personnel are based around Erbil airport. Under a 2024 agreement between Baghdad and Washington, the coalition mission and the remaining deployment are scheduled to end by Sept. 30.