BAGHDAD, Iraq: Several people were injured in an overnight “bombing raid” on an Iraqi military base housing a coalition of pro-Iranian militants, two security officials said early Saturday.
The explosion struck the Karso military base in Babylon province, south of Baghdad, where the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) are stationed, Interior Ministry sources and military officials said.
Interior Ministry officials said one person was killed and eight others injured in the “airstrike,” while military officials reported that three Iraqi soldiers were injured in the airstrike.
Hashd al-Shaabi said in a statement that the “explosion” had caused “significant losses” and casualties, but did not specify the number of injured.
The group confirmed that a compound on a military base had been attacked and that investigators had been sent to the scene.
In response to questions from AFP, security officials did not specify who was responsible or say whether it was a drone attack.
A ministry official said, “The explosion directly hit equipment, weapons, and vehicles.”
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Immediately after the explosion, the US military announced that it was not involved in the reported attack on Iraq.
“The United States is not conducting any airstrikes in Iraq today,” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on social media X, adding that reports that the U.S. military had conducted airstrikes were “not true.”
An Iraqi military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic, said the overnight explosion occurred in a “warehouse where equipment is being stored.”
“The fire remains intense and the search for the injured continues,” an official said.
In response to an interview with AFP, the Israeli military said it “does not comment on information published in foreign media.”
Hashd al-Shaabi, a coalition of mainly Shiite militias formed to fight the Islamic State group, has been integrated into Iraq’s regular security apparatus.
The explosion at the Iraqi military base comes amid heightened tensions in the region over the war between Israel and the Iranian-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas.
On Friday, an attack attributed to Israel targeted a military base near the central Iranian city of Isfahan.
A senior US Congressional official told AFP there was a retaliatory attack by Israel, but declined to provide details as the attack was classified.
Israeli officials have not commented publicly on Friday’s attack, and Iranian officials have downplayed its significance.
