Iraqis PM Claims Military Base Was Attack,, Prompting An Investigation By The Army

An explosion at a military base in Iraq early on Saturday resulted in the death of a member of an Iraqi security force that includes Iran-backed groups. 

According to VOA, the force commander labeled it as an attack, while the army stated that it was under investigation and clarified that there were no warplanes in the sky at the time.

Initial reports from two security sources suggested that an airstrike was responsible for the explosion, which resulted in the death of a member of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and left eight others wounded at Kalso military base, located approximately 50 km (30 miles) south of Baghdad.

The PMF released a statement indicating that its chief of staff, Abdul Aziz al-Mohammedawi, had visited the site and examined the details of the investigative committees present at the attacked location.

The Iraqi military mentioned that a technical committee was investigating the cause of the explosion and fire at the base, which occurred at 1 a.m. on Saturday (2200 GMT Friday).

According to a statement from the military, the air defense command's report, based on technical efforts and radar detection, confirmed the absence of any drone or fighter jet in the airspace of Babil before and during the explosion.

This incident in Iraq's Babil province took place amidst heightened tensions across the Middle East, particularly following reports of an Israeli attack in the Iranian city of Isfahan on Friday. Tehran downplayed the incident and indicated that it had no intentions of retaliating.

The Isfahan incident occurred six days after Iran launched a series of missiles and drones at Israel in response to an alleged Israeli airstrike that targeted part of Iran's embassy in Damascus, resulting in the death of seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers on April 1.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, operating as part of the PMF, has been responsible for attacking U.S. troops and targeting Israel since the Gaza war. However, their attacks on U.S. forces ceased in February after a drone strike killed three American soldiers in Jordan. This led to significant U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. Nonetheless, they claimed responsibility for an attack on Eilat, an Israeli city, on April 1.

Contrary to reports, the U.S. military's Central Command stated on X that there were no airstrikes conducted by the United States in Iraq. They clarified, "The United States has not carried out any air strikes in Iraq today."

Initially, the PMF consisted of various armed factions, many of which had close ties to Iran. Over time, it was officially recognized as a legitimate security force by Iraqi authorities.

Credited to VOA.