An Iraqi investigation committee said Saturday’s explosion at the Kalsu military base in Iraq’s central province of Babil was not a result of a missile strike.

A statement by the Security Media Cell, a media outlet affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, explained that the explosion was from an ammunition and missile depot.

The committee concluded that “the intensity of the explosion and the size of the material scattered from the projectiles, missiles, and other explosive materials could not in any way be caused by missiles.”

The statement explained that “the size of the crater caused by the explosion confirms the occurrence of a large explosion of weapons and highly explosive materials present in the place.”

It was likewise said that the Iraqi Air Defence Command confirmed that there were no drones or combat aircraft in the airspace of the province before and during the explosion, the statement added.

A huge explosion occurred after midnight, followed by a fire in Camp Kalsu on Saturday.

Camp Kalsu houses the bases of the Iraqi army, federal police, and Hashd Shaabi forces, leaving one Hashd Shaabi fighter killed and eight others injured, including a soldier.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Central Command said on Saturday, in a post on social media platform X, “the United States has not conducted airstrikes in Iraq today.”

The U.S. media outlet CNN quoted an Israeli official as saying that Israel was not involved in the attack on the Kalsu military base in Iraq. 

(Xinhua/NAN)