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An explosion was heard at the Gulf headquarters of U.S. Central Command on Sunday, but it appeared to have occurred off the base in a civilian industrial area, officials said.

Qatari officials were investigating the blast, which sent a plume of smoke up in the air, said Navy Lt. Mark Kitchens, a U.S. Central Command spokesman.

He said the explosion occurred about a mile east of the base's front entrance.

The U.S. Central Command's Gulf base is located 12 miles south of Qatar's capital of Doha, in an industrial but barren zone in the Qatari desert. There are several factories nearby.

Security around the 262-acre, concertina wire-rimmed base is heavy, and parts of the road in front of the front gate are closed to commercial traffic.

There were no further details.

photo credit and caption:

American General Tommy Franks, center, speaks to the media, as American Brigadier General Vincent Brooks, left, Danish Rear Admiral Per Tidemand, second left, British Air Marshal Brian Burridge, third left, and Austrailian Brigadier Maurie McNarn, second right, as well as Dutch Lieutenant Colonel Jan Blom, right, look on during the first of his press briefings, held at the Central Command center at camp AS Sayliyah, Doha, Qatar, Saturday, March. 22. The General updated the media on the progress made on the war in Iraq. (AP Photo/Richard Lewis)

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