Rocket Attack on U.S. Embassy in Baghdad

MSNBC – 2 die in attack on U.S. embassy in Baghdad

A rocket hit the U.S. embassy inside Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone on Saturday, killing two people and wounding at least six, a diplomatic source said. NBC News reported that the embassy is in lockdown. The rocket struck after dark on the eve of Iraq’s elections. An explosion could be heard across the city center and sirens sounded in the Green Zone shortly after the blast. A U.S. embassy official confirmed the blast. “It was a rocket. Two people are dead and at least six are wounded,†the source told Reuters.

A suicide bomber attacked a police station in a Kurdish town, killing eight people, and insurgents blasted polling places across the country Saturday on the eve of landmark elections in which the president acknowledged many Iraqis would not vote because of fears for their lives.

In Baghdad, bursts of heavy machine gun fire rattled through central districts at midday, and several heavy explosions shook the downtown area in the afternoon. American fighter jets roared through the skies in a show of force.

via Steven Taylor, who is updating as events develop.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Richard Neely says:

    I have a friend working in the Embassy and have not been able to get word if he is ok. Although I have found the names of the dead, I cannot find the names of the wounded. I would love info about this, anyone?