At least 2 Iraqi personnel wounded after 4 rockets strike Baghdad’s Green Zone


BAGHDAD — Four rockets struck inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone on Tuesday, Iraq’s military said, wounding at least two people and signaling an end to an informal truce announced by Iran-backed militias in October.

The rockets were fired from the al-Amin al-Thaniyah neighborhood of Baghdad, according to the military’s statement.

Two Iraqi security officials said the rockets struck just 600 meters (2,000 feet) from the U.S. Embassy and were intercepted by the C-RAM air defense system installed by the U.S. earlier this year.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Two Iraqi security forces personnel were wounded, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Frequent attacks targeting the embassy have led Washington to threaten to close its Baghdad diplomatic mission and sparked a diplomatic crisis prior to the U.S. federal election.

In mid-October, Iran-backed militia groups announced they would temporarily halt attacks targeting the American presence in Iraq, including the embassy, on the condition that U.S.-led coalition troops withdraw from the country.

Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller announced a drawdown to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan and Iraq by Jan. 15. (Master Sgt. Alejandro Licea/Army)

The attack comes after a recent announcement by the Pentagon it would reduce troop levels in Iraq from 3,000 to 2,500.

A planned drawdown has been underway in Iraq for months, with coalition troops withdrawing from several Iraqi bases.





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