Basra (Iraq): At least four people were killed and several were injured in an explosion on Monday in the central part of the southern city of Basra in Iraq. Local officials gave this information. It was not immediately clear how the explosion took place, though a plume of black smoke enveloped the sky after the blast.
Local reports initially said it was a car bomb, but Basra’s governor, Asad al-Idani, told reporters at the scene that a motorcycle exploded. It was not immediately clear whether the bomb was planted on the motorcycle or it was a suicide attack. The governor said that according to preliminary figures, people were killed and two were injured.
Iraq’s Security Media Cell said in a statement that two cars near the motorcycle were burnt, killing four people and injuring four others. It said forensic teams are at the scene and more details about the nature of the blast will be released after the investigation is completed. There have been no explosions in Basra in recent years, especially since the Islamic State group’s defeat in 2017. The oil-rich Basra is predominantly Shia-dominated. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.
There was no immediate comment from Iraqi officials in Baghdad. Political instability has increased in Iraq after parliamentary elections held on October 10, in which Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr emerged as the biggest winner.
Shiite armed groups loyal to Iran lost nearly two-thirds of their parliamentary seats and rejected the election results, accusing them of fraud.
