5 injured in ammunition blast at Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces base

Five members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces were injured Saturday when a stockpile of damaged ammunition exploded at one of the group’s facilities in Baghdad, the group said.

The explosion sparked a fire at the facility east of the Army Canal, which was later brought under control, the group said in a statement.

It said five of its members sustained minor injuries.

The group added that specialized teams had begun investigating the cause of the explosion and would announce their findings once the inquiry was complete.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the incident and called for its swift completion, according to the Security Media Cell.

He also instructed authorities to strengthen safety measures to prevent similar incidents.

The Popular Mobilization Forces was formed in 2014 to fight the ISIS (Daesh) terrorist group and was formally incorporated into Iraq’s armed forces in 2016.