Explosion Near US Embassy in Baghdad Prompts Green Zone Lockdown
A powerful explosion near the US Embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone struck a PMF base, triggering an immediate security lockdown. Iraqi officials condemned the attack as a crime against civilians, while Turkey warned its citizens against traveling to Iraq due to the escalating security situation.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Smoke was seen rising from the United States Embassy compound in Baghdad on Saturday as Iraqi security forces moved to completely seal off the capital’s Green Zone following a powerful explosion in central Baghdad, according to Kurdistan24 correspondents.
Footage circulating on Saturday showed a large plume of smoke emanating from the US Embassy compound in Baghdad.
According to Kurdistan24’s correspondent in the Iraqi capital, Iraqi security forces have fully closed the Green Zone following the developments.
Earlier in the day, a powerful explosion shook the Masbah–Arsat area in central Baghdad.
The blast was heard early Saturday morning, and according to information obtained by Kurdistan24, the explosion targeted a base belonging to the 40th Brigade of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the Arsat district of the capital.
The attack was reportedly carried out using a missile.
Casualty figures have not yet been confirmed.
Following the incident, units of the Popular Mobilization Forces arrived at the scene and assumed responsibility for investigating the attack.
At the same time, some media and security sources suggested the strike may have been an assassination attempt targeting a senior commander of the Iraqi resistance front believed to reside in the area.
In a statement issued on March 14, 2026, Iraq’s Joint Operations Command strongly condemned what it described as a dangerous and unprecedented development involving attacks targeting individuals inside densely populated residential neighborhoods.
The Security Media Cell of the Joint Operations Command said such actions represent “a blatant violation of all humanitarian values and a destruction of international conventions.”
The statement stressed that any justification used to target individuals deep inside residential areas is legally and morally invalid.
It added that turning the homes and narrow streets of civilians into arenas for military operations constitutes “a complete crime aimed at breaking the will of society and terrorizing innocent people.”
The command further emphasized that attacking citizens within their residential surroundings is an assault on one of the most sacred human rights, noting that targeting civilian areas is internationally classified as a crime.
The statement concluded with the words: “May God protect Iraq and its patient people.”
Meanwhile, the Turkish government warned its citizens against traveling to Iraq due to the deteriorating security situation.
Through its embassy in Baghdad, Ankara urged Turkish nationals to avoid non-essential travel to Iraq unless absolutely necessary.
The embassy statement also advised citizens to avoid crowded areas and gathering points, particularly around Baghdad’s Green Zone, international airports in the capital, residential areas in Mosul and surrounding districts, as well as locations near Basra province.
The warning also called on Turkish nationals to stay away from sensitive and strategic sites across Iraq, including military bases and oil fields.
The developments underline growing security concerns in Baghdad as tensions across the region continue to escalate.