Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, the commander-in-chief of Iraqi forces, ordered Iraq’s Interior Ministry to probe the explosion of a munitions store in Baghdads Sadr City on Monday, and to take legal action against perpetrators. At least 18 were killed and dozens wounded in the explosion’s aftermath. Abadis office said in a statement Thursday that the prime minister ordered “provincial police departments to carry out large-scale searches both inside and outside cities to confiscate uncertified arms and ammunition stores.” According to the statement, responsible bodies were instructed to “investigate the incident and to take deterrent legal action against perpetrators.” Sadr City residents were left shocked by a deadly explosion of a weapon’s cache at a Shiite gathering spot in Sadr City, east of Baghdad. The explosion killed at least 18 people and left about one hundred wounded, according to data from the Ministry of Health, in addition to causing serious damage to about 20 houses and two schools in the neighborhood. It was not clear what triggered the explosions that destroyed or damaged 20 homes. Iraq’s Health Ministry issued a final statement recounting losses caused by the explosion, stating that most of the wounded were discharged from hospitals, leaving only 15 wounded in critical condition and in need of treatment. Debris left behind the deadly blast mimicked a scene of destruction caused by an earth shattering quake, witnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat. Witnesses pointed out that people are unable to complain and protest in fear of retaliation of powerful armed factions that run the weapons depot which exploded. “The sector is traditionally dominated by the Sadrist groups, and the pile of equipment goes back to (Saraya al-Salam), the military wing of the Sadrist movement,” witnesses added. However, Sadrist leader Moqtada al-Sadr condemned the incident and offered his condolences to the families of victims and those injured by the explosion and promised an urgent investigation into the incident. A statement issued by his office called on the people of Sadr City to “be patient and show restraint and spare giving opportunists the chance to exploit the situation and hinder any improvement achieved in national security and political sphere. Sadr did not hold any party responsible for the blast, but the statement said that he “ordered the formation of a committee to find out the reasons that led to this explosion” -- the committee is scheduled to submit its report within 3 days tops.