SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – The Peshmerga Ministry is investigating a fire last night at a weapon facility in Sulaimani, wounding four – the latest in a series of similar incidents that has people worried. “Tasluja heights caught fire. According to our information, the fire occurred in a weapons depot where gunpowder is stored. It belongs to the Ministry of Peshmerga,” Brigadier Sardar Mahmood, head of the Sulaimani Police media department, told Rudaw. Four Peshmerga were injured, including an officer, Ahmed Latif, media officer of the 70 Unit force, told Rudaw. Their unit is investigating the incident and the main cause of the fire is not immediately clear, he added. Several explosions frightened people living in nearby apartments, causing some to evacuate the area. One eyewitness whose home is located in the area said he heard a “very loud sound.” Authorities prevented media from approaching the area. Jabar Yawar, chief of staff of the Peshmerga Ministry, said the fire was caused by an electricity failure. He said they are investigating the incident, stressing that this is the first fire at this particular spot since 1991. It is, however, the fourth incident at Peshmerga facilities in the past year. An explosion at a Peshmerga weapons depot in Erbil on the weekend caused by improperly stored ammunition reacting to the heat. Two similar explosions occurred in August last year.
