(Baghdad) A nighttime “explosion” on a military base in Iraq left one dead and eight injured, the authorities announced on Saturday, with security officials referring to a “bombardment” against the former pro-Iran paramilitaries of Hachd al-Chaabi , in an already explosive regional context.
With divergent accounts several hours after the tragedy, vagueness still reigns over the exact circumstances of the events that occurred at the Calso base (center), sheltering personnel from the army, the police, and Hachd al-Chaabi fighters. , now integrated into the regular Iraqi forces and allies of Tehran.
Questioned by AFP, a military official and an Interior Ministry official were unable to identify those responsible for an alleged bombing, which would have targeted the base located in the province of Babylon.
Saturday after midnight, “an explosion and a fire occurred in the base”, leaving one dead and eight injured among the personnel stationed there, according to a media cell of the Iraqi security forces.
Evoking “preliminary data”, “a report from the air defense command” and the inspection of radars, the official press release ensures that “there were no drones or combat aircraft in the airspace […] before or during the explosion. »
Clearing Washington, the American Military Command for the Middle East (Centcom) quickly announced on X that the United States “did not carry out airstrikes in Iraq. »
Questioned by AFP, the Israeli army said “it does not comment on information appearing in foreign media. »
But the events in Iraq come at a time when diplomatic efforts are continuing to avoid a conflagration in the Middle East, against a backdrop of war in Gaza and rekindled tensions between Israel and Iran.
Before dawn on Friday, drone strikes targeted the surroundings of a military base in the Isfahan region in central Iran. The attack was blamed on Israel, which, however, did not claim responsibility.
” Assault ”
In Iraq, an official at the Interior Ministry initially reported a death toll of “one dead and eight injured” in an “aerial bombardment” targeting Calso.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, he assured that the strike had targeted the Hashd al-Shaabi Armored Vehicles Directorate. “The explosion affected equipment, weapons, vehicles,” he said.
Another military official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, also reported “explosions in the warehouses housing the equipment, due to the bombing”.
Hashd al-Shaabi is an integral part of the official Iraqi security apparatus placed under the authority of the prime minister.
But this institution brings together several pro-Iran armed factions, some of which have also carried out dozens of attacks in Iraq and Syria against American soldiers deployed as part of an international anti-jihadist coalition.
“We will retaliate against whoever is behind this aggression,” warned Abou Alaa al-Walaï, secretary-general of the Sayyed al-Chouhada Brigades, one of the factions that is part of the Hachd.
“Those involved in this heinous crime will pay the price,” he promised in a statement published on his X account.
“Risks of military escalation”
Officially, however, Hachd al-Chaabi tersely confirmed in a first press release “wounded”, without specifying the number, and “material losses” in an “explosion”.
The organization said a “preliminary investigation” had been opened and investigators dispatched to the site. A second press release on Saturday morning mentions a meeting between the Hachd chief of staff and the commissions of inquiry “on the site which was attacked”.
These events take place in an explosive regional context.
Before Friday’s strikes in Iran in the vicinity of Isfahan, Tehran carried out an unprecedented drone and missile attack against Israel on April 13. It was a response to a previous attack which destroyed the Iranian consulate in Damascus and cost the lives of seven soldiers, including two high-ranking officers.
Iraqi diplomacy expressed Friday evening its “strong concern” regarding the attack in Isfahan and “warned of the risks of military escalation which threatens security and stability in the region”.
“This escalation must not distract attention from what is happening in the Gaza Strip, the destruction and loss of innocent lives,” she argued.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Chia al-Soudani returned to Baghdad on Saturday after a long tour of the United States, where he met President Joe Biden earlier this week.