Katyusha rockets land near US embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone

"It is clear that the parties behind this attack still want to complicate the situation and weaken the state."

Mustafa Shilani 2020/07/19 18:30

middle east Iraq Baghdad US Iran Katyusha rockets

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Three Katyusha rockets landed near the US embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone, hours after Iranian foreign minister, Mohammed Javad Zari, arrived in the Iraqi capital.

"The Green Zone was targeted with three 82 mm mortar shells this afternoon, two of which exploded, while the third one did not," the Iraqi Joint Operation Command (JOC) confirmed in a statement.

"It is clear that the parties behind this attack still want to complicate the situation and weaken the state," the statement added. "The Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces instructed the [JOC] to focus immediate security and intelligence efforts to apprehend the attackers and bring them to justice."

The military command unit also called on all citizens to cooperate with the security forces in providing information "to bring down these criminal groups."

In such attacks on the high-security Green Zone—which houses many government institutions and foreign embassies—US facilities have usually been the target.

Washington has accused Iran-aligned militia groups such as the Kata'ib Hizbollah of being behind the activities. The US installed a missile defense system in Baghdad earlier this year to prevent such projectiles from penetrating its mission office.

"The embassy's C-RAM rocket defense system was not triggered, possibly because the missiles' trajectory meant they would not strike within the compound," AFP noted in its report.

In response to ongoing rocket attacks, the elite Iraqi counterterrorism forces raided a base of KH in Baghdad on July 25. The team arrested several militiamen, as Iraqi intelligence had received information suggesting that the militia was planning an attack in Baghdad's "Green Zone." The move came on the orders of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

Almost all the detainees, however, were freed just days later, as gunmen drove freely into the Green Zone, demanding their release.

That was broadcast on the militias' television stations, along with the burning of US flags. KH leaders, as well as heads of allied armed groups, also stepped up their rhetoric against Kadhimi, whom they accused of being too close to the US.

Zarif Visit

The latest attack came as Zarif was holding a series of meetings with senior Iraqi officials. The Iranian minister, the first top government representative to visit Iraq after Kadhimi entered office, traveled to the Kurdistan Region later in the day.

Zarif first met his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein early on Sunday, then Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who is slated to visit Saudi Arabia—Iran's regional arch-rival—on Monday and Iran on Tuesday.

While meeting Kadhimi, Zarif conveyed "Iran's interest at the highest levels in the upcoming visit of his excellency to Iran, to start a new stage of cooperation between the two countries," a statement from Kadhimi's said.

Kadhimi stressed the importance of "joint work" to ensure security and stability in the region. He added that "Iraq seeks to assert its balanced and positive role in making peace and progress in the region."

For his part, Zarif pointed out that Iran is looking forward to a "new and positive" stage of relations with Iraq and desires agreements between the two countries in various sectors.

Editing by Khrush Najari