According to Iraqi security forces unnamed in the Reuters report, the explosion was caused by an explosive device that had been smuggled near a US military convoy by a Shiite militia. There have been no reports concerning casualties or damage.
Iraqi news agency Rudaw reported that Ashab al-Kahaf ("people of the cave"), a relatively new militia group, had claimed responsibility for the attack in a video. It's unclear if the content of the video, which shows an explosion at night, is footage of the Jraischan attack.
The newly formed Iranian-backed Ashab al-Kahaf also claims that they have attacked Jrishan border crossing on Iraqi-Kuwait border that house #US troops. pic.twitter.com/tD3lzeBaEH
— Lawk Ghafuri (@LawkGhafuri) August 10, 2020
Iraqi Joint Operations Command issued a statement early Tuesday claiming there was "no truth" to the reports of an attack at the border crossing. CNN reported the name of the group as Ishab al-Kahf: it is the same group as Rudaw reported, just a different Romanization of the Arabic name (أصحاب الكهف).
A spokesperson from US Central Command (CENTCOM) told Sputnik the command was "looking into" the reports of an attack.
Last month, an Iraqi parliamentarian sharply criticized the border crossing, which is controlled by the US military and used to ferry logistics into the country from Kuwait.
Badr al-Ziyadi, a member of the Security and Defense Committee in the Iraqi parliament, said the Jraischan crossing is "not subject to the control of the federal government, which is considered a breach of Iraqi sovereignty," according to the outlet al-Quds al-Arabi. He later said the Security and Defense Committee would push for imposing "government control over the crossing."
On July 23, another US convoy in southern Iraq came under attack when two roadside bombs exploded on the al-Bathaa road in Dhi Qar Governorate. There were no reports of casualties or damage. However, another attack on July 7 in al-Diwaniyah set several US cargo trucks ablaze.
