Iraqi soldier killed in Katyusha attack on area near US embassy in Baghdad
A Katyusha rocket has targeted a security checkpoint near the US embassy inside the highly secured Green Zone of Baghdad, killing an Iraqi soldier and wounding three other members of the security forces manning the checkpoint.
Another rocket also landed 100 meters away from the parameters of the US embassy but did not detonate, according to security sources.
There are reports of warning sirens blaring throughout the area. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts that hit the zone on Wednesday night.
The Green Zone is home to several Western embassies and government offices including the parliament, the prime minister's office, and the presidency.
In recent months, however, the fortified zone has been repeatedly targeted by Katyusha rockets.
Read more:
- Two Katyusha rockets hit near US embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone
- Katyusha rocket hits area near foreign embassies in Baghdad
The attack comes as the Arab country is gripped by widespread anti-government protests.
On Tuesday, tens of thousands of Iraqi protesters gathered on Baghdad’s central Tahrir Square for a fifth successive day of protests driven by public discontent with economic hardship.
The protesters were defying army orders to clear the streets between midnight and 6:00 a.m. local time.
Security forces stationed on Jumhuriya bridge, which links Tahrir Square to the Green Zone, lobbed tear gas at the protesters.
At the start of October, street protests erupted in several Iraqi cities over unemployment and a lack of basic services.
An official investigation found that a total of 157 people, including civilians and security forces, had been killed in the first round of the rallies in the capital and other cities.
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