BAGHDAD (Reuters): One member of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces was killed and eight wounded in an explosion at its command post on the Kalso military base 50 km (30 miles) south of Baghdad, a military statement said on Saturday.
There were no drones or fighter jets detected in the air space of the Babylon area before or during the blast, the military confirmed in a statement.
Earlier, two security sources said the blast was a result of an unknown airstrike, which happened around midnight Friday.
PMF sources said the blast occured at the headquarters of the PMF at the Kalso military base near the town of Iskandariya around 50 km south of Baghdad.
The PMF started out as a grouping of armed factions, many close to Iran, that was later recognized as a formal security force by Iraqi authorities.
Factions within the PMF took part in months of rocket and drone attacks on US forces in Iraq amid Israel’s Gaza campaign but ceased to do so in February.
