BAGHDAD (HPD) — A gas transport truck exploded near a soccer field in northeast Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least nine and wounding 10, according to Iraqi security officials.
It is unknown if the explosion was due to a technical failure or an attack, security officials who requested anonymity because of their department’s rules told The Associated Press.
The incident came two days after Iraq’s parliament approved a new cabinet in a long-awaited vote, marking a major step toward defusing political tensions across the country.
The cabinet headed by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is the first since 2005 without seats for the bloc of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Iraq held snap elections more than a year ago in response to massive anti-government protests that began in October 2019 in Baghdad and southern Iraq.
The protesters were demanding changes to the political system established after the 2003 US-led invasion.