Baghdad [Iraq], April 20: Many people were injured after a large explosion suspected to be an air strike at a military base of pro-Iranian groups in Iraq on the night of April 19.
According to Reuters, the explosion occurred at Kalso military base, about 50 km south of Iraq 's capital Baghdad. Two news agency sources said the explosion was caused by an air strike.
Iraq 's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, also known as Hashed a-Shaabi) , an official security organization, said the explosion occurred at their command post, causing material damage and injuries . PMF is investigating the incident.
Sources at a hospital in the nearby city of Hilla said one PMF member was killed and six injured in the blast.
No group immediately claimed responsibility. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it did not carry out any air strikes in Iraq during the day and emphasized that reports about US forces conducting an attack were false.
The PMF was originally a collection of many armed groups, including many factions close to Iran . Later, the PMF was considered an official security force by the Iraqi government.
Groups within the PMF have conducted many rocket and drone attacks against US forces in Iraq since the conflict in the Gaza Strip broke out. However, this activity stopped since early February.
The latest incident in Iran occurred amid rising tensions in the region due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the Israel- Iran conflict . On April 19, a military base near the Iranian city of Isfahan suffered an attack believed to have been carried out by Israel.
Previously, Israel attacked Iran's diplomatic building in Syria, causing Tehran to respond to Tel Aviv with an unprecedented attack.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
