One person was killed and eight wounded in an overnight explosion at an Iraqi military base housing a coalition of pro-Iranian armed groups.

Baghdad Governorate

An explosion at an Iraqi military base housing a coalition of pro-Iranian armed groups has resulted in the death of one individual and injuries to eight others. The base, located approximately 50 kilometers south of Baghdad, experienced the blast under unclear circumstances. Despite initial speculations pointing to an airstrike, Iraqi authorities have confirmed that there were no planes in the air at the time. The U.S. has historically targeted groups belonging to the popular mobilization forces located at the base, though the U.S. military denied involvement in this incident.

The incident adds to the complexity of the regional situation, especially considering the recent activities of a group identifying itself as the Islamic Resistance. This group has claimed responsibility for previous attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and against Israel. The timing of the explosion is noteworthy, coming as the Iraqi Prime Minister concludes discussions in Washington regarding the plan for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.

The site of the explosion has been significantly damaged, with reports describing a crater five meters deep and ten meters wide. Despite this, no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. This occurs amidst a background of tensions and targeted attacks in the region, involving various armed groups and international forces.



Blast at Iraq army base kills one, wounds others

I mean, as you mentioned, the head of security in the province where this explosion happened is saying that it does look like an airstrike, while Iraqi authorities say there were no planes in the air at the time of the strike. Fingers have been pointed towards the U.S. first, because the U.S. has repeatedly targeted groups belonging to popular mobilization forces over the past months, and these forces were at the base. But the U.S. military has said its forces were not behind the strike. These attacks have taken place after a grouping calling itself the Islamic Resistance has taken responsibility for attacks against U.S. forces stationed in Iraq, and then also claimed responsibility for attacks against Israel as late as last night, they say they conducted one. It is still very unclear around this explosion about 50 kilometers south of Baghdad. It comes also as Iraqi Prime Minister is concluding a visit to Washington where he has been discussing plans for withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. And according to the information we have so far, there is at least one dead and eight injured. And if you look at images from the site of this explosion, there is a lot of damage, five meter deep and 10 meter wide crater is in the ground. But so far, no claims of responsibility from anyone.

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