Firefighters extinguish blazes after a weapons depot explosion in Baghdad: source

Shafaq News/ An explosion rocked a weapons depot south of Baghdad on Thursday, causing no casualties but prompting an investigation by Iraqi authorities, security sources said.

The blast occurred at around 9 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) in the al-Yusufiyah area, near the capital's southern outskirts, according to the sources.

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella group of Iran-backed state-sanctioned paramilitary group, confirmed the incident in a statement, saying it had formed a committee to investigate the cause of the explosion.

"The explosion occurred at 7 p.m. in the logistics support depots of Brigade 42 of the Salahuddin Operations Command," the PMF statement said. "A specialized technical committee has been formed to determine the causes of the explosion."

The statement added that there were no casualties in the incident.

A local security source told Shafaq News Agency that the blast caused material damage to the depot but did not result in any injuries.

The cause of the explosion remains unclear, with some sources suggesting it may have been caused by an accident or technical malfunction. However, the PMF statement did not rule out the possibility of a deliberate attack.

The PMF has been a key player in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group, but it has also been accused of human rights abuses and involvement in sectarian violence.

The Iraqi government has been struggling to assert control over armed groups, including the PMF, and to prevent them from operating outside of state control.