At least one person was injured when the United States’ embassy in Iraq’s capital, Bagdhad, was hit by three rockets on Sunday. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Recently, there have been numerous rocket attacks in Bagdhad’s so-called Green Zone where the embassies of the US and several other countries are located.
“We call on the Government of Iraq to fulfill its obligations to protect our diplomatic facilities”, a US State Department spokesperson said, adding that they “are aware of reports of rockets landing in the International Zone”.
Tensions between the US and Iran have increased after the US killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iran’s missile attack on an Iraqi base housing US troops as retaliation. The State Department did not directly blame Iran for the attacks, but it did, however, mention past attacks by Iranian-backed militias on US interests.
The prime minister of Iraq Adil Abdul Mahdi said the country’s government is “committed to protecting all diplomatic missions and taking all necessary measures to achieve this”.
He added that security forces have been ordered to “deploy, search, and investigate to prevent the recurrence of such attacks, and to arrest those who launched these rockets so that they can be punished.”
US embassy in Iraq hit by rocket attack
EPA-EFE/AHMED JALIL
The building of US embassy compund are seen in the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad, Iraq, 31 December 2019 (reissued 27 January 2020). Iraqi Security Media Cell reported five Katyusha rockets hit the US embassy compound in the Green Zone, a heavily fortified area housing government and foreign diplomatic missions, while other media reports said that the attack destroyed a small restaurant inside the US embassy compound. No injuries were reported.
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