Iraqi military says barrage of eight missiles attacked US embassy in heavily fortified Baghdad Green Zone
BAGHDAD – Eight missiles aimed at the US embassy in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone late Sunday, Iraq military and Iraqi officials said, raising fears of renewed unrest on next month’s anniversary of the US murder of an Iranian. General is approaching.
An Iraqi military statement said that a “banned group” launched eight missiles aimed at the Green Zone, injuring an Iraqi security officer manning a checkpoint and causing property damage to a housing complex and several cars. The residential complex is usually empty.
The U.S. embassy’s C-RAM defense system, used to destroy missiles in the air, was activated to repel the attack, the embassy said in a statement.
“The US Embassy confirms that missiles aimed at the international zone (green zone) resulted in the deployment of the embassy’s defensive systems,” the statement said. It said there was some minor damage to the embassy residence.
“We call on all Iraqi political and government leaders to take measures to prevent such attacks and hold those responsible to account,” the statement said.
The thunderous sound of the defense system could be heard by Associated Press reporters on the other side of the Tigris River.
The C-RAM system was installed by the US in the summer when armed groups carried out missile attacks on the embassy and its buildings.
The US withdrew some personnel from its embassy in Baghdad earlier this month, temporarily reducing personnel in the run-up to the first anniversary of the US airstrike that killed Iran’s top general Qassim Soleimani outside Baghdad airport on January life came. US officials said the reduction was due to concerns about a possible retaliatory attack.
Soleimani’s assassination sparked outrage and prompted the Iraqi parliament to pass a non-binding resolution days later calling for the expulsion of all foreign troops from Iraq.
The frequency of missile attacks in Iraq has frustrated the Trump administration. Iranian-backed militias are blamed for orchestrating the attacks.
In September, Washington warned Iraq that it will close its embassy in Baghdad if the government does not take decisive action to end missile and other attacks by Iranian-backed militias on US and allied interests in the country.
The partial withdrawal from the embassy came amid a withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan announced by the outgoing Trump administration last month. In Iraq, the US plans to reduce the number of troops from 3,000 to 2,500 in mid-January, before Trump will leave office.
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Murtada Faraj, Associated Press author, contributed to this report.