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Mortar causes Baghdad base fire | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
The US military has said that a huge fire at an army base's ammunitions store in the Iraqi capital was caused by a mortar fired by insurgents. | |
The fire, which set off a series of blasts and explosions at the base, caused no casualties or injuries. | |
The BBC's Andrew North, in Baghdad, said the explosions started at about 2300 (2100 BST) on Tuesday night. | |
Blasts from the base, in the city's south, were heard for miles. The fire continued to burn through the night. | |
"Intelligence indicates that civilians aligned with a militia organisation were responsible for last night's mortar attack," Base spokesman Lt Col Jonathan Withington said. | |
Earlier, an insurgent group had posted a statement on the internet, claiming responsibility for the attack. | |
The US military spokesman said that all troops and workers on the base had been safely evacuated to bomb shelters to protect them from the blasts. | |
He said no-one had been injured in the explosions. | |
The Iraqi Interior Ministry said the blasts had shaken three neighbourhoods close to the base in the southern district of Doura. | The Iraqi Interior Ministry said the blasts had shaken three neighbourhoods close to the base in the southern district of Doura. |