Baghdad:
A “bombardment” hit a military base in central Iraq housing army troops and pro-Iranian paramilitaries on Friday night, two security sources said.
The explosion hit the Calso base, where the former pro-Iranian paramilitary group Hashed al-Shaabi – now integrated into the regular army – is based, an Interior Ministry source and a military official said.
The Interior Ministry official said the attack killed one person and injured eight others, while the military source said three Iraqi soldiers were injured.
In a statement, Hashed al-Shaabi confirmed that the attack had caused material losses and casualties, without specifying the number of injured.
In response to questions from AFP, the sources would not identify who was responsible for the attack or say whether it had been a drone strike.
“The explosion hit equipment, weapons and vehicles,” the ministry source said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
“They were explosions in the warehouses where equipment was stored,” said the military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. “The fire is still raging and the search for the injured continues.”
Hashed al-Shaabi, an alliance of mainly Shiite armed groups formed to fight the Islamic State, is now part of the Iraqi security forces.
The attack on the pro-Iranian paramilitaries comes amid rising regional tensions over the war between Israel and Tehran-backed Palestinian militants Hamas.
On Friday, attacks attributed to Israel targeted a military base near Isfahan, Iran.
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