BAGHDAD, April 23 (Xinhua) -- An Iraqi investigation committee said Tuesday that the huge explosion, which occurred on Saturday at Kalsu military base in Iraq's central province of Babil, resulted from the explosion in ammunition and missile depots, not as a result of a missile strike.
The technical committee ended its investigation and 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 a missile," according to a statement from the Security Media Cell, a media outlet affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command.
The statement explained that "the size of the crater caused by the explosion confirms the occurrence of a very large explosion of weapons and highly explosive materials that were present in the place."
It also said that the Iraqi Air Defense Command confirmed that there were no drones or combat aircraft in the airspace of the province before and during the explosion, the statement added.
On Saturday, a huge explosion occurred after midnight and was followed by a fire in Camp Kalsu, which houses 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 Saturday in a post on social media platform X "the United States has not conducted airstrikes in Iraq today."
The U.S. media CNN quoted an Israeli official as saying that Israel was not involved in the attack on the Kalsu military base in Iraq. ■
