Iraqi military says four rockets struck Baghdad’s Green Zone

The Iraqi military says four rockets have targeted the Green Zone in the capital Baghdad, an area that houses government buildings and foreign missions, including the US embassy.

The Iraqi military announced in a statement on Tuesday that four Katyusha rockets had landed near the US Embassy in the heavily fortified Baghdad Green Zone, with reports of sirens having gone off in the diplomatic mission.

According to Press TV, the statement added that the rockets had been fired from the New Baghdad district located in the east of the capital.

There were no immediate words on possible damage or casualties, but Iraqi officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press news agency that at least two Iraqi security personnel had sustained injuries in the attack.

The heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, which hosts foreign diplomatic sites and government buildings, has been frequently targeted by rockets and explosives in the past few years.

Washington, each time, has been quick to point the finger at popular anti-terror groups, which are now integrated into Iraq's armed forces.

The US has time and again targeted positions of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Sha’abi, after blaming the major anti-terror force for the rocket attacks. The popular group has strongly denied any involvement in the strikes.

The Tuesday incident marks the first such attack after anti-terror groups in Iraq agreed last month to stop military operations against US and foreign forces in Iraq to allow them to leave the Arab country.

ME