Iraq’s outgoing PM condemns rocket attack near US embassy, calls for investigation

“The targeting of the US embassy is a crime against diplomatic missions on Iraqi grounds.”

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi on Tuesday condemned an attack near the US embassy in Baghdad earlier in the day, calling for an investigation into the incident.

“The targeting of the US embassy is a crime against diplomatic missions on Iraqi grounds,” state-run Iraqi News Agency quoted Abdul Mahdi as saying.

According to the Iraqi prime minister, an investigation into the matter had been launched, although no suspects have yet been identified.

US embassy sirens went off early Tuesday as three missiles landed near the compound in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone area, an official statement said.

Read More: Rockets land near US embassy in Baghdad

“Three Katyusha rockets landed in the vicinity of the Green Zone without resulting in any casualties,” a brief statement from the Iraqi military communications center, Security Media Cell, said shortly after the incident was reported.

Reuters quoted a security source as saying that the rockets were launched from the capital’s Za’faraniyah district, which is about 10 kilometers southeast of the Green Zone. Two of them landed near the US embassy, the report added.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack and other similar attacks – which have taken place several times in recent years and with increasing regularity – the United States often accuses Iraqi militia forces linked to Iran of carrying them out.