A “bombing” late Friday hit a military base in central Iraq housing pro-Iranian army and paramilitary forces, two security sources said.
The blast hit the Calso base, where the former pro-Iran paramilitary group Hashed al-Shaabi – now integrated into the regular army – was stationed, according to an interior ministry source and a military official.
Interior ministry officials said the attack killed one person and wounded eight others, while military sources reported three Iraqi military personnel were injured.
In a statement, Hashed al-Shaabi confirmed that the attack caused material losses and casualties, without specifying the number of injured.
Responding to questions from AFP, the source would not say who was responsible for the attack, or say whether it was a drone attack.
“The blast hit equipment, weapons and vehicles,” the ministry source said.
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No party has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
“It was an explosion in an equipment storage warehouse,” said the military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. “The fire is still burning and the search for injured victims continues.”
Hashed al-Shaabi, an alliance of Shiite armed groups formed to fight the Islamic State group, is now part of Iraq’s security forces.
The attack on pro-Iranian paramilitaries comes amid rising regional tensions over the war between Israel and Tehran-backed Palestinian militant Hamas.
On Friday, an attack blamed on Israel targeted a military base near Isfahan in Iran.
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