Friday, July 13, 2007
Largest known attack on Green Zone kills three
Security
(Al Mashriq Newspaper) - 12 JUL - The US Embassy in Baghdad announced that the Attack that occurred the day before yesterday and targeted the Green Zone in central Baghdad killed three people including one US soldier and a foreign citizen. Yesterday, a US Embassy statement said that on Tuesday, the International Green Zone was exposed to indirect fire.
The statement added that the attack killed one US soldier, an Iraqi citizen, and an unidentified third country national. The statement clarified that the attack also wounded 18 people, including five Americans, two of whom are members of the US armed forces and three contractors. On Tuesday, IPs announced that the Green Zone was attacked by 40 mortar shells. This attack is considered to be the largest attack that has targeted the Green Zone.
Labels: Green Zone, IDF, International Zone, mortar rounds, U.S. embassy
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Green Zone under attack again
Security
(AP) - A sharp increase in mortar attacks on the Green Zone - the one-time oasis of security in Iraq's turbulent capital - has prompted the U.S. Embassy to issue a strict new order telling all employees to wear flak vests and helmets while in unprotected buildings or whenever they are outside. The order, obtained by The Associated Press, has created a siege mentality among U.S. staff inside the Green Zone following a recent suicide attack on parliament. It has also led to new fears about long-term safety in the place where the U.S. government is building a massive and expensive new embassy.
The situation marks a sharp turnaround for the heavily guarded Green Zone - long viewed as the safest corner of Baghdad with its shops, restaurants, American fast-food outlets and key Iraqi and American government offices. The security deterioration also holds dire implications for the Iraqi government, which uses the Green Zone as a haven for key meetings crucial to its ability to govern. On Wednesday, for example, Vice President Dick Cheney held meetings in the Green Zone with Iraq's prime minister.
The increase in mortar attacks comes despite the presence of tens of thousands more American and Iraqi soldiers in the streets of Baghdad as part of the security crackdown ordered by President Bush in January.The vest and helmet security order was issued May 3, one day after four Asian contract workers working for the U.S. government were killed when rockets or mortars slammed into the Green Zone. It was at least the third straight day of barrages against the 3.5-square-mile area along the west bank of the Tigris River in the center of Baghdad.
Because of the "recent increase of indirect fire attacks" - the military term for mortar and artillery barrages - the order told embassy employees that until further notice, "outdoor movement" must be "restricted to a minimum." Government employees who work outside of a "hardened structure" such as the current embassy building or travel "a substantial distance outdoors" must wear "personal protective equipment," meaning flak jackets and helmets, the order said.
A U.S. Embassy spokesman confirmed the order was in effect until further notice. But he refused to say more, citing security, and would not allow his name to be published, citing embassy regulations. Attacks on the Green Zone are nothing new: They have occurred from time to time since the first months of the U.S. presence in Iraq. Often, the rounds landed in open fields - part of a system of parks that Saddam Hussein built when the area served as the headquarters of his regime.
But the latest attacks have been unnerving because of their frequency, the size of the ordnance and the accuracy of some hits. Some rounds appear to have been fired from Sunni insurgent strongholds to the south of the Green Zone. Others have come from areas where Shiite militiamen operate.
At last week's regional summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said it was unclear if the attackers were becoming more skilled, had better weapons or tools or were just getting lucky. He noted that it was difficult to stop mortar attacks. Extremists can carry the weapons in vehicles, set up quickly, fire them and drive away. It is also likely that rounds fired from Shiite areas are intended as a warning to Iraq's Shiite-led government not to bow to American pressure and disband the militias.
The situation marks a sharp turnaround for the heavily guarded Green Zone - long viewed as the safest corner of Baghdad with its shops, restaurants, American fast-food outlets and key Iraqi and American government offices. The security deterioration also holds dire implications for the Iraqi government, which uses the Green Zone as a haven for key meetings crucial to its ability to govern. On Wednesday, for example, Vice President Dick Cheney held meetings in the Green Zone with Iraq's prime minister.
The increase in mortar attacks comes despite the presence of tens of thousands more American and Iraqi soldiers in the streets of Baghdad as part of the security crackdown ordered by President Bush in January.The vest and helmet security order was issued May 3, one day after four Asian contract workers working for the U.S. government were killed when rockets or mortars slammed into the Green Zone. It was at least the third straight day of barrages against the 3.5-square-mile area along the west bank of the Tigris River in the center of Baghdad.
Because of the "recent increase of indirect fire attacks" - the military term for mortar and artillery barrages - the order told embassy employees that until further notice, "outdoor movement" must be "restricted to a minimum." Government employees who work outside of a "hardened structure" such as the current embassy building or travel "a substantial distance outdoors" must wear "personal protective equipment," meaning flak jackets and helmets, the order said.
A U.S. Embassy spokesman confirmed the order was in effect until further notice. But he refused to say more, citing security, and would not allow his name to be published, citing embassy regulations. Attacks on the Green Zone are nothing new: They have occurred from time to time since the first months of the U.S. presence in Iraq. Often, the rounds landed in open fields - part of a system of parks that Saddam Hussein built when the area served as the headquarters of his regime.
But the latest attacks have been unnerving because of their frequency, the size of the ordnance and the accuracy of some hits. Some rounds appear to have been fired from Sunni insurgent strongholds to the south of the Green Zone. Others have come from areas where Shiite militiamen operate.
At last week's regional summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said it was unclear if the attackers were becoming more skilled, had better weapons or tools or were just getting lucky. He noted that it was difficult to stop mortar attacks. Extremists can carry the weapons in vehicles, set up quickly, fire them and drive away. It is also likely that rounds fired from Shiite areas are intended as a warning to Iraq's Shiite-led government not to bow to American pressure and disband the militias.
Labels: Green Zone, IDF, mortar attacks
Iraqis demonstrate against Cheney's visit
Politics
(Al Jazeera) - The US vice-president has urged Iraqi leaders to end fighting and act on overcoming sectarian differences on a visit to Iraq's capital. Dick Cheney kicked off a week-long Middle East tour on Wednesday but his Baghdad stop was met by demonstrations and spiralling violence punctuated by an explosion that shook windows at the US embassy he was at.
He met Nuri al-Maliki, the prime minister, to discuss security issues and "challenges we are facing in our own political process". He also urged parliament to abandon plans for a two-month summer vacation, saying with important issues pending, "any undue delay would be difficult to explain".
Cheney said Iraqi leaders felt sectarian violence was "down fairly dramatically" even though car bombings and suicide attacks still claim a heavy toll. "I think everybody recognises there still are serious security problems, security threats, no question about it", adding that "we've got a long way to go. I emphasised the importance of making progress on the issues before us, not only the security issues but also on the political issues that are pending before the Iraqi government," he said. "I do believe that there is a greater sense of urgency now than I'd seen previously."
Despite his claims of progress, hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad and Najaf to protest against his visit and call for the withdrawal of US troops. Cheney was at the US embassy inside the heavily protected Green Zone in central Baghdad when an explosion rattled windows, prompting officials to move reporters to the basement for several minutes.
Witnesses said a mortar or rocket appeared to have been fired from the mostly Shia areas on the east side of the Tigris river towards the Green Zone. In Washington, sagging public opinion of George Bush, the US president, has put pressure on the White House to show al-Maliki's government is making progress in attaining stability.
He met Nuri al-Maliki, the prime minister, to discuss security issues and "challenges we are facing in our own political process". He also urged parliament to abandon plans for a two-month summer vacation, saying with important issues pending, "any undue delay would be difficult to explain".
Cheney said Iraqi leaders felt sectarian violence was "down fairly dramatically" even though car bombings and suicide attacks still claim a heavy toll. "I think everybody recognises there still are serious security problems, security threats, no question about it", adding that "we've got a long way to go. I emphasised the importance of making progress on the issues before us, not only the security issues but also on the political issues that are pending before the Iraqi government," he said. "I do believe that there is a greater sense of urgency now than I'd seen previously."
Despite his claims of progress, hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad and Najaf to protest against his visit and call for the withdrawal of US troops. Cheney was at the US embassy inside the heavily protected Green Zone in central Baghdad when an explosion rattled windows, prompting officials to move reporters to the basement for several minutes.
Witnesses said a mortar or rocket appeared to have been fired from the mostly Shia areas on the east side of the Tigris river towards the Green Zone. In Washington, sagging public opinion of George Bush, the US president, has put pressure on the White House to show al-Maliki's government is making progress in attaining stability.
US troop withdrawal will begin later this year if progress is shown. The vice-president's visit comes two days after Bush held a video conference with al-Maliki about achieving political reconciliation among the majority Shia, the Sunnis and the Kurds.
Labels: demonstration, Dick Cheney, IDF, Najaf, Nouri Al-Maliki, politics, violence
