At least three rockets targeted the US embassy in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone earlier today, Iraqi security officials say, sparking fears of renewed unrest, as next month’s anniversary of the slaying of an Iranian general draws near.
The embassy’s C-RAM defense system was used to destroy the rockets mid-air, three Iraqi security officials say, with damage caused to property and parked cars. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.
The US embassy in Bagdad, Iraq seen from across the Tigris river on May 19, 2007. (AP/File)
The C-RAM system was installed by the US over the summer, as armed groups stepped up rocket attacks targeting the embassy and its premises.
The US withdrew some staff from its embassy in Baghdad earlier this month, temporarily reducing personnel ahead of the first anniversary of the Washington-directed killing of Iranian General Qassim Soleimani outside Baghdad’s airport on January 3. US officials said the decision stemmed from concerns about a possible retaliatory strike.
— AP
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