Tens of people killed, injured in weapon stash explosion, east of Salahuddin
A huge bomb explosion in the Iraqi capital Baghdad
“An explosion took place, in the afternoon, at a weapon stash of Hezbollah militia, one of the factions of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) near Tuz Khurmatu police command,” Mulla Karim, from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Hamrin, said.
According to sources, the explosion left two personnel of the PMFs killed and 31 others injured. The wounded people included two women and a child, while the rest were from the PMFs.
In August, twenty people were killed and injured as a weapon stash for the pro-government paramilitary troops exploded in Karbala.
PMFs store weapons at populated regions, which endangers people’s lives, according to media reports.
A similar explosion previously took place in Husseiniya region in Sadr City, which left around 50 houses destroyed, tens of people killed and injured.
The Shia-led fighters get part of its weapons and ammunition from Iran, either in the form of gifts or sales, that Iraqi government should pay for.
PMFs, an alliance of more than 60 mostly Shia militias, have been actively engaged in the government’s campaign that ran since October 2016 against the Islamic State, which declared a self-styled “caliphate” from Mosul in June 2014