An explosion occured at Iraqi military base in Babylon province on early Saturday in which one person got killed and several injured.
According to the AFP news agency, the “aerial bombing” happened overnight on an Iraqi military base housing a coalition of pro-Iranian armed group-Popular Mobilization Forces, or Hashed al-Shaabi.
The ministry of interior official told AFP news agency that “explosion” had inflicted “material losses” and casualties, without specifying the number of wounded.
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Shortly after the explosion, the US military said its forces were not behind a reported strike in Iraq.
“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.”
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”.
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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 spiralling regional tensions over the war between Israel and Iran-backed Palestinian militants Hamas.
Meanwhile, world leaders called on Iran and Israel to try to avoid escalating tensions following the airstrike on Friday near an Iranian air base and nuclear facility.
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It came days after Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on Israel.
Regional tensions have increased since the start of the latest Israel-Hamas war on October 7, when Hamas and Islamic Jihad — two militant groups backed by Iran — carried out a cross-border attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others. Israel responded with an offensive in Gaza that has caused widespread devastation and killed more than 33,900 people, according to local health officials.
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Vikram Sharma is a globe-trotting journalist with a global perspective on international events. His articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing insights into the world’s most pressing challenges.
