Weapons warehouse blasts frighten Iraqis
Concerns over whether weapons held in and near urban areas are being properly stored — and who is holding them — are being raised after several blasts of unclear origins near major Iraqi cities.
BAGHDAD — As extreme heat and power outages continue to weigh heavily on Iraqis’ lives, explosions reported on Aug. 11 near Baghdad at sites hosting Iran-linked, government-salaried armed groups raised questions once again about the safety of munitions and those in control of them.
Daytime temperatures hover near 50 degrees Celsius, overheating phones, spoiling food and blasting faces as if a furnace door had been opened when leaving air-conditioned spaces.
Allergy-provoking dust storms, meanwhile, continue to choke and stultify, as long-neglected environmental conditions worsen and hit Iraq especially hard.
In a country awash in weapons, much of them potentially improperly stored, such high temperatures can be deadly in various ways.
