Published Date: November 30, 2008
BAGHDAD: An Iranian-made rocket exploded yesterday near a UN compound in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, killing two foreign catering employees and wounding 15 others, according to UN and military officials. The attack comes as followers of anti-US Muqtada al-Sadr hoisted black flags on houses, mosques and Sadrist offices in their Baghdad stronghold to protest a US-Iraqi security pact that would let American forces stay in Iraq for three years.
The rocket fell near the compound about 6:15 am, the United Nations said in a statement. It was the first such strike in more than a month against the Green Zone -- a sprawling area in central Baghdad that also houses the US Embassy and the Iraqi government headquarters. The victims were working for a catering company that provides services for the United Nations, according to the statement. The UN declined to provide identities or nationalities pending notification of relatives, but it said no Iraqi or
international UN staff members were among the casualties.
The UN presence in Iraq has been limited since the organization's Baghdad headquarters was bombed on Aug. 19, 2003, killing 22 people,including top UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello.
Rocket and mortar strikes against the US-protected Green Zone have been common throughout the war but recently tapered off after a Shiite militia cease-fire that followed weeks of fighting with US and Iraqi troops this spring. Tech. Sgt. Chris Stagner, a US military spokesman, said explosives ordnance teams had determined Iranian-made rockets were used in the Green Zone attack as well as another strike late Friday against Camp Victory, the main military headquarters on the western outskirts of the Iraqi ca
pital. That attack caused only minor damage, Stagner said.
The US military accuses Iran of providing weapons, funding and training to Shiite extremists that oppose the US presence in Iraq. The security pact, which still must be approved by the three-member presidential council, was backed by the ruling coalition's Shiite and Kurdish blocs and the largest Sunni Arab bloc, which wanted concessions for supporting the deal.
But al-Sadr, who is believed to be in Iran and commands a large following among impoverished Iraqi Shiites and a 30-seat bloc in the 275-seat parliament, rejected the pact and said US troops should withdraw immediately. Militiamen loyal to the cleric have fought American troops in major uprisings over the years and often have been blamed in rocket and mortar attacks. But his forces have been heavily hit in US-Iraqi military operations.
Al-Sadr, who is believed to be in Iran, has declared a cease-fire and called Friday for three days of mourning and peaceful public protests as a show of opposition to the agreement. While Friday's call was for peaceful protests, the cleric warned earlier this month that he could still unleash his armed followers against the Americans if they don't leave.
The US military also announced that a roadside bomb attack Friday damaged a US mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle, known as the MRAP, in the Sadrist stronghold of Sadr City. Three men suspected in connection with the attack were detained, the military said. Iraqi security forces also intensified their presence in previously set up checkpoints at Sadr City's main entrances. - AP
