BAGHDAD (Dispatches) — A Panama-flagged oil tanker was struck by a drone in Iraqi territorial waters on Wednesday, security and maritime sources said, as Baghdad announced a joint security agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to coordinate military operations ahead of the scheduled withdrawal of U.S. forces later this month.
The vessel was hit at approximately 5:30 a.m. local time in a ship-to-ship transfer zone, causing a fire and damage to the hull, according to Iraqi media reports. 
No casualties or cargo leaks were reported, and Iraqi authorities said they had isolated the vessel and were investigating the attack and its source. 
It remained unclear whether the strike was carried out by armed groups or state actors, and Iraqi officials have not issued a formal statement on the incident.
The attack came as the Iraqi government and Kurdish authorities announced what officials described as a “joint security agreement” following a meeting in Baghdad chaired by the office of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. 
The deal covers some 17 strategic points, including border controls, intelligence-sharing, and joint operations against militant networks, according to Iraqi security spokesman Saad Maan.
A committee will be formed to conduct a comprehensive survey of border crossings and the frontier strip in the Kurdistan Region, with the aim of closing informal crossings and placing compliant ones under joint administration. 
The agreement also provides for activation of coordination through joint communication centers in Erbil and Sulaimaniyah to pursue individuals wanted by the judiciary and address cases of foreign labor violations.
The accord seeks to build what officials called “unity of security decision” ahead of the September 30 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. forces, and as Iraq pushes to consolidate state control over weapons.
The announcements came as Iraq’s oil exports recovered to more than 3 million barrels per day (bpd) in September, rebounding from a sharp decline caused by the regional war and the prolonged shutdown of the northern pipeline to Turkey, Oil Minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair said Tuesday. 
Exports had fallen to about 200,000 bpd at the time the government took office, he told the 4th International Gas and Oil Exhibition in Baghdad.
The recovery has been helped by Iranian permission for some Iraqi tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, although shipping costs remain elevated.