Mysterious Airstrike Hits Iraqi Military Base, Claims Lives
7:02 AM EDT, April 20, 2024
In the Iraqi province of Babylon, south of Baghdad, an "unidentified aircraft" attacked the joint military base of Kalsu, which houses forces of the Iraqi army, federal police, and the so-called Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), reports the Saudi station Asharq. Reuters describes the event as a "powerful explosion."
Members of the PMF stated that the attack targeted the command centre of their forces at the Kaiso base, near the city of Iskandariya, approximately 31 miles south of Baghdad. Iraqi government officials have yet to comment on the incident.
The PMF originally united various factions of the Iraqi armed forces, including pro-Iranian groups. The Iraqi government subsequently recognized it as part of the national armed forces.
Three airstrikes and explosions at a military base
According to Reuters, which cited Iraqi security sources, the explosion at the Popular Mobilization Forces base was the result of a raid of unknown origin.
A correspondent for Al Mayadeen (a Lebanese pan-Arab channel associated with Iran) in Iraq reported that the attack on the headquarters of the Kalsu base in the province of Babylon was conducted with three airstrikes.
Unofficial reports claim the base sustained "significant damage."
The footage allegedly shows the aftermath of the airstrike on the military base in Babylon.
Al Jazeera reports that two soldiers were injured in the attack. Meanwhile, the AFP news agency claims one soldier was killed, and two were injured.
Channels associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have reported that at least eight of their members were killed. The Corps has blamed Israel for the attack.
Many militias supported by Iran are present in Iraq.
Retaliatory attack
On Friday, Israel launched a drone attack on the Isfahan province in Iran. The American network CNN remarked that this was likely the final instance of such confrontations between the governments of these countries on each other's soil and that such operations would not continue.
CNN, citing a source connected to Middle Eastern intelligence services, revealed there should be no expectation for Tehran's response to Friday's attack. The source requested anonymity.
On April 1, Israel conducted a strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria. The attack reportedly resulted in several deaths, including three high-ranking Iranian commanders and four other officers overseeing Tehran's covert operations in the Middle East. Among the deceased was Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, commander of Iran's elite Quds unit in Syria and Lebanon, marking one of the most lethal Israeli actions against Iran.
On the night of April 12 to April 13, Tehran launched a retaliatory attack on Israel. Over 300 drones and missiles were fired, mostly from Iranian territory. Still, they caused minimal damage, as the majority were intercepted by forces from Israel, the USA, France, the United Kingdom, and Jordan.
