BASRA: An explosion rocked the center of Iraq’s southern city of Basra on Monday, killing at least four people and wounding four others, according to Iraqi security forces.
The governor of Basra, Asaad al-Idani, told reporters on the scene that a motorcycle had exploded. Two nearby cars were set ablaze from the explosion, he added.
Initially, the cause, whether a bomb had been rigged to the motorcycle or if it was a suicide bombing, was not clear.
Iraq’s Security Media Cell, an outlet affiliated with the country’s security forces, said in a statement that four people were killed and four wounded as a result of the fire in two cars that were near the motorcycle.
Explosions have been rare in Basra in recent years, particularly since the defeat of the Sunni militant Islamic State group in 2017.
The oil-rich Basra is predominantly Shiite. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion.
There has been an increase in political instability in Iraq following the October 10 parliament elections which saw Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr emerge as the biggest winner.