Iraq Watch: October 10, 2006

Explosions Rattle Baghdad as Ammunition Dump Catches Fire

A U.S. military weapons depot in southern Baghdad came under indirect fire Tuesday night resulting in a series of huge explosions that reverberated across the capital city.

Insurgents routinely target U.S. and Iraqi military bases with mortars and rockets.

Flames from the site of the explosions at Forward Operating Base Falcon rose high into the air while plumes of smoke billowed into the darkened skyline. The military base and ammunition depot is situated at the edge of southern Baghdad.

The base is adjacent to Baghdad's volatile Dora neighborhood.

No causalities were immediately reported from the blasts, which began at approximately 10:40 p.m. Sporadic explosions carried on throughout much of the night.

The Islamic Army in Iraq (IAI) claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on the Internet.