Iraq takes security measures following mysterious blasts

Iraq on Thursday banned unauthorised flights and ordered all military camps and munitions warehouses to be moved outside Iraqi cities following a massive explosion at a munitions depot southwest of Baghdad that killed one civilian and wounded 13 earlier this week.

The exact cause of Monday night's explosion at the al-Saqr military base is still unknown.

The blast shook the Iraqi capital and sent explosives and mortar shells shooting into the sky, damaging nearby homes and terrifying residents who ran into the streets with their cellphones.

Black smoke billowed over the city for hours afterward. The federal police base houses a weapons depot belonging to a militia group under the umbrella of the mainly Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces.

The state-sanctioned PMF militias have fought alongside Iraq's regular armed forces against the Islamic State group.

Some officials blamed the explosion at the base, also known as Falcon Camp, on faulty storage that caused overheating amid typically high temperatures in Baghdad.

But the blast has also given rise to a host of theories, including that Israel may have conducted an airstrike.

Israel has struck Iranian bases in neighbouring Syria on numerous occasions, and there has been speculation that it might be expanding its campaign to target Iranian bases to Iraq.

However, neither the Iraqi government nor Israel have addressed the reports. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi ordered a "thorough investigation" into the incident, ordering the investigation be concluded within a week.

In a statement issued Thursday following a national security meeting, Abdul-Mahdi ordered the cancellation of all aviation approvals for flights throughout the country, unless authorised by the commander of the armed forces.

The statement did not specify military or civilian flights but specifically cited reconnaissance, fighter jets and helicopters and drones of all kinds.

It said the directives applied to "Iraqi and non-Iraqi parties."
The statement urged all parties to abide by the directives, stating that any other flight activity "will be considered (an) enemy flight and dealt with from our air defenses immediately."
It said violators will be "considered an irregular presence and dealt with in accordance with the law and order."