US confirms rocket hitting its embassy in Baghdad
Five rockets hit a riverbank near the embassy in the Iraq’s capital without causing any injuries, the US Joint Operations
Baghdad-Iraq, 27th January 2020 (GNP) : Rocket were fired Sunday evening on the US embassy in Baghdad. Five rockets hit a riverbank near the embassy in the Iraq’s capital without causing any injuries, the US Joint Operations Command said in a statement, but AFP news agency citing a security source said three of the rockets "directly hit the US embassy”. One slammed into a cafeteria at dinner time, it added.
"We are aware of reports of rockets landing in the International Zone,” said a State Department spokesperson Sunday evening as cited by US-based news outlets, noting that the official did not specifically mention the American embassy but pointed to “reports of minor damage.”
This marks the third attack on the US embassy in this month but was the first time the complex was hit directly. The US State Department exclaims more than 14 attacks on American personnel based in Iraq and accuses “Iranian government or militias backed by Tehran.” However, no group has yet claimed responsibility.
Adel Abdul Mahdi, Caretaker Prime Minister condemned the attack in a statement, calling it an "aggression” that could "drag Iraq into becoming a war zone”. (GNP)