Blast hits checkpoint at Baghdad Airport
An explosion has occurred near the main checkpoint to Baghdad International Airport today, the US military said.
It is unclear if there were any casualties.
Military spokeswoman Captain Kelly Lewis said the explosion happened at 9:17 a.m. (6.17am Irish Time) near the landmark Abbas Ibn Firnas statue, commonly known as the “Flying Man,” which depicts a winged medieval Arab astronomer.
The statue is located between two car parks between which there is normally a long queue of vehicles, particularly in the morning when people are driving to the airport to catch flights or go to work.
Iraqi police Captain Talib Thamir claimed the blast was caused by a suicide bomber targeting a US convoy near the main checkpoint, which is mainly manned by private security guards backed by US soldiers and sniffer dogs.
Officials at western Baghdad’s main Yarmouk hospital said they have received no casualties.
