Blast rocks base used by Iraqi coalition of Iran-allied militias; US denies involvement

Iraq says one killed, no jets or drones in area at time of explosion; military official says blast was in ‘warehouses storing equipment’; Israeli official: Nothing to do with us

By Agencies and ToI Staff 20 April 2024, 8:01 amUpdated at 11:28 am Edit
A screenshot of video from social media shows fire after a reported airstrike on a military base used by a coalition of pro-Iran militias in Iraq, early April 20, 2024. (X video screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
A screenshot of video from social media shows fire after a reported airstrike on a military base used by a coalition of pro-Iran militias in Iraq, early April 20, 2024. (X video screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

One person was killed and several wounded in a blast overnight on an Iraqi military base housing a coalition of pro-Iranian armed groups, security sources said Saturday.

The explosion hit the Calso military base in Babylon province south of Baghdad, where Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, or Hashed al-Shaabi, is stationed, according to an interior ministry source and a military official.

There were no drones or fighter jets detected in the air space of the Babylon area before or during the blast, the military confirmed in a statement.

In a statement, Hashed al-Shaabi said an “explosion” had inflicted “material losses” and casualties, without specifying the number of wounded.

The group confirmed that its premises on the military base had been hit and that investigators had been sent to the site.

Responding to questions from AFP, security sources would not identify who or what was responsible.

“The explosion hit equipment, weapons and vehicles,” said the ministry source.

Shortly after the explosion, the US military said its forces were not behind the explosion.

“The United States has not conducted air strikes in Iraq today,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on social media platform X, adding that reports that American forces had carried out a strike were “not true.”

In recent months, some PMF member groups have staged attacks on US forces based in Iraq and Syria, which they said was in retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel in its war with the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

Israel has no connection to blasts in Iraq, an Israeli official told CNN.

When reached by AFP, the Israel Defense Forces said it “does not comment on information published in foreign media.”

The Iraqi military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, said the overnight explosion had occurred in “warehouses storing equipment.”

“A fire is still raging and the search for the injured is continuing,” the source said.

Hashed al-Shaabi, an alliance of mainly Shiite armed groups formed to fight the Islamic State group, has been integrated into Iraq’s regular security apparatus.

The explosion on the Iraqi military base comes amid spiraling regional tensions.

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