ISI: Weapons depot held by Iranian-backed militia likely destroyed by airstrike
‘We can conclude that the weapons were being stored for safekeeping by a neighboring country’
An airstrike was likely behind the explosions in a weapons depot belonging to an Iranian-backed Shi’ite militia south of Baghdad on Monday, an assessment by ImageSat International (ISI) found on Wednesday.
According to ISI, the warehouse which measured 140x180 m. belonged to the Hashd al-Shabi (Popular Mobilization) militia and was located within the Iraqi Al-Saqr military base.
“The main building is destroyed with significant collateral damage signs,” ISI said, adding that “based on the observed damage characteristics in this image, it is probable that the blast was caused by an airstrike followed by secondary explosions of the explosives stored in the place.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi visited the depot on Tuesday as conflicting reports emerged about the cause of the incident, the Arabic London-based newspaper A-Sharq Al-Awsat reported.
He examined the site of the explosion and ordered an investigation into the causes of the incident and issued orders for the development of shared safety procedures for all armed forces to prevent such incidents.
One person was killed and 29 others were injured in the explosion, according to Sky News Arabia.
Shortly afterward, shells fell in the Green Zone of Baghdad where the American Embassy in Iraq is located.
Earlier on Monday, the Iraqi Ministry of Health said 13 people were injured in the explosion, according to the Iranian IRNA news agency.
Sources in Iraq issued conflicting statements as to the cause of the attack. Some claimed that it was an accident caused by improper storage, while others claimed that Israel and the US attacked the depot.
A security source told the London-based daily that Israel and the US are using Iraq as a battleground for attacks against Iran.
“It is obvious that we are confronted with a real bone-grinding battle between the United States and Israel on the one hand, and Iran and its allies in Iraq on the other,” said the anonymous source. “It is also obvious that both sides have chosen Iraq as the ground for their undeclared battle.”
Israel has not commented on the recent strikes.
Anna Ahronheim contributed to this report.