One wounded in US embassy rocket attack in Baghdad

Three out of five rockets fired on Sunday directly
hit the US embassy in Iraq’s capital, a security source told AFP, including one
that slammed into a cafe at dinner time.
Sirens immediately rang out at the American
compound.
The diplomatic mission, which lies in Baghdad’s
high-security Green Zone, has been regularly hit by rockets in recent months.
Sunday’s attack took place earlier in the day than
usual and it was the first time a direct hit was reported.
The Green Zone houses government buildings and
foreign missions.
Meanwhile, US aircraft were seen landing inside the
embassy compound in Baghdad, Al Arabiya correspondent reported.
The rocket attacks on the embassy have reportedly
resulted in a number of casualties.
But AFP citing Iraqi officials said at least one was
wounded in the US embassy rocket attack.
Iraq’s security forces had earlier reported no
casualties.
Earlier, US sources revealed that rockets fell
inside the embassy’s compound in Baghdad, Al Arabiya correspondent in
Washington reported.
Baghdad is in the throes of mass anti-government
protests.
AFP reporters heard loud thuds emanating from the
western bank of the Tigris, where most foreign embassies are located.
One security source said three Katyusha rockets hit
near the high-security compound while another said as many as five struck the
area.
Later Iraq’s security forces said in a statement
that five rockets hit the high-security Green Zone with no casualties. It did
not mention the US embassy.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi deplored on
Sunday the continued targeting of diplomatic missions
In a statement carried by the state-run television,
Abdul Mahdi, in his first comments on the attack targeting the Green Zone which
houses government buildings and foreign missions, said that “the continued
irresponsible, unilateral behavior harms the higher interests of the country and
its relations with its friends.”
“The government confirms its commitment to protect
all diplomatic missions and take all necessary measures to achieve this,” he
said.
Iraq’s Speaker of Parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi
said on Sunday that the attack on the US embassy in Baghdad hurts the country’s
reputation.
US Ambassador Matthew Tueller condemned the attack
on his country’s embassy in Baghdad.
The rocket fire comes two day after thousands massed
in Baghdad in response to a call by populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr for a rally
to demand the ouster of US troops from Iraq.
America’s military presence has been a hot-button
issue in Iraq since a US strike killed Iranian general Qassim Soleimani and a
top Iraqi commander outside Baghdad airport on January 3.
Around 5,200 US troops are in Iraq to lead a global
coalition fighting ISIS, but Iraq said the strike against Soleimani violated
that mandate.
Sunday’s attack was the latest in a series of rocket
fire this month targeting the Green Zone, where the Iraqi parliament is also
located.
The parliament earlier this month urged the
departure of US troops from Iraq, which has been gripped by anti-government
protests since October.