Explosion in Sadr City, Iraq Leaves at Least 16 Dead

An explosion in an ammunition depot in Sadr City, a district in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, has left at least 16 dead and dozens injured. The Baghdad Security Command announced in a statement on June 6 that "an explosion occurred in an ammunition depot... security forces are investigating the reasons for this incident." Police officials say heavy weapons, including RPGs and mortars, belonging to an armed group, were the cause of the severe explosion. Iraqi officials have confirmed the deaths of at least 16 people, with reports indicating that at least 90 others have been injured. Health officials state that women and children are among the dead. Local witnesses reported that the explosion caused severe damage to nearby homes and buildings. The ammunition depot was located near or inside a mosque belonging to Shia Muslims in Iraq. Reuters, citing police officials, reported that the explosion occurred while ammunition was being loaded onto a vehicle in the mosque's parking lot. Recent reports come as the Iraqi Ministry of Interior described the explosions on Wednesday evening in Sadr City as a "terrorist attack against civilians." Iraqi officials have yet to provide an explanation for these two contradictory statements. Sadr City, a district in northeastern Baghdad, has a population of 3.5 million, many of whom are Shia. This area is a stronghold for militia groups and also for Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shia cleric whose list recently won in the Iraqi parliamentary elections. The Iraqi parliament voted the previous day to recount the parliamentary election votes. Prior to that, the Prime Minister of Iraq had spoken of "major violations" in the recent elections. According to the results of the Iraqi parliamentary elections, the list supported by Muqtada al-Sadr, known as "Sairoun," won 54 seats, followed by the Popular Mobilization Forces coalition in second place and the coalition of Haider al-Abadi, the current Prime Minister, in third place.