Thursday, May 03, 2007
Rocket attack on Green Zone kills four
Security
(AP) -- Four Filipino contractors working for the U.S. government were killed in a rocket attack on the heavily fortified Green Zone, the American Embassy said Thursday. The attack occurred on Wednesday, said the embassy, adding that it was making the announcement "with a profound sense of sadness and regret."
It was the third straight day that the U.S.-controlled area in central Baghdad was hit by rockets or mortars, heightening concerns about security in the area that is home to the U.S. and British embassies and thousands of American troops. Insurgents and militia fighters routinely fire rockets and mortars into the sprawling complex on the west bank of the Tigris River, but the attacks seldom cause casualties or damage because they are poorly aimed and the zone contains much open space.
But two Americans - a contractor and a soldier - were killed in late March in a rocket attack on the area and two suicide vests were found unexploded less than a week after that. The adequacy of security in the vast area in central Baghdad more recently came into question in the aftermath of the April 12 suicide bombing in the Iraqi parliament building's dining hall. One lawmaker was killed in the blast, which was claimed by an al-Qaida-led amalgam of Sunni insurgents.
The Philippines banned deployment of workers to Iraq after insurgents abducted Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz in July 2004. About 5,000 to 6,000 Filipinos are employed in U.S. military camps across Iraq, mostly as cooks and maintenance personnel. A smaller number work as bodyguards for businessmen. Most already were in Iraq when the Philippine government imposed the deployment ban. Despite the ban, many Filipino workers are believed to have slipped into Iraq through neighboring countries such as Jordan, prompting the government to appeal to those countries to help block such passage.
It was the third straight day that the U.S.-controlled area in central Baghdad was hit by rockets or mortars, heightening concerns about security in the area that is home to the U.S. and British embassies and thousands of American troops. Insurgents and militia fighters routinely fire rockets and mortars into the sprawling complex on the west bank of the Tigris River, but the attacks seldom cause casualties or damage because they are poorly aimed and the zone contains much open space.
But two Americans - a contractor and a soldier - were killed in late March in a rocket attack on the area and two suicide vests were found unexploded less than a week after that. The adequacy of security in the vast area in central Baghdad more recently came into question in the aftermath of the April 12 suicide bombing in the Iraqi parliament building's dining hall. One lawmaker was killed in the blast, which was claimed by an al-Qaida-led amalgam of Sunni insurgents.
The Philippines banned deployment of workers to Iraq after insurgents abducted Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz in July 2004. About 5,000 to 6,000 Filipinos are employed in U.S. military camps across Iraq, mostly as cooks and maintenance personnel. A smaller number work as bodyguards for businessmen. Most already were in Iraq when the Philippine government imposed the deployment ban. Despite the ban, many Filipino workers are believed to have slipped into Iraq through neighboring countries such as Jordan, prompting the government to appeal to those countries to help block such passage.
Labels: contractors, Filipino, Green Zone, rocket attack
Friday, March 30, 2007
Green Zone increasingly targeted by rockets and mortars
Security
(Washington Post) - Iraqi insurgents are increasingly hitting Baghdad's fortresslike Green Zone with rockets and mortar shells, officials said Wednesday. Insurgents have struck inside the Green Zone, which includes the U.S. Embassy, on six of the past seven days, once with deadly consequences. A U.S. soldier and a U.S. government contractor were killed Tuesday night by a rocket attack that also seriously wounded a civilian, military and embassy officials said. One soldier and at least three other civilians received minor injuries, U.S. Embassy spokesman Lou Fintor said.
The attack stunned a workforce normally blase about Baghdad's habitual wartime booms and blasts. A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said, "There are increasing attacks on the embassy. These are people who are trying to kill Americans," the official added. "They have someone who is a straight shooter."
A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy did not answer calls or return e-mails seeking comment early Thursday. The Tuesday attack was the gravest in a series that have hit the walled zone of about four square miles in recent days, U.S. officials said. Three rockets crashed down Wednesday, Fintor said. Two attacks, coming two hours apart, hit Monday. The zone was also hit Saturday and Sunday, officials said. At least 10 people were wounded in those attacks.
A week ago, a rocket attack landed about 100 yards from the Green Zone residence of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, jolting the room where he was holding a news conference with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. Ten rocket and mortar attacks have struck inside the heavily protected sector this month, according to the U.S. military. Most have hit in the past week.
"It's clear that there have been increasing targeting attacks against the international zone," Rear Adm. Mark I. Fox, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said at a news conference. The increased use of mortars and rockets is a "change in tactics," he said, and part of an overall strategy to disrupt the government and incite sectarian violence.
Wednesday morning, embassy personnel received a bulletin citing the "recent increase of indirect fire attacks on the embassy compound." It included strict instructions: Body armor and helmets would now be required for all "outdoor activities" within the sprawling embassy complex, even short walks to the cafeteria. There would be no group gatherings outside, including at the famed Palace Pool. No "nonessential" visitors would be allowed in the compound.
A U.S. official in Baghdad characterized embassy personnel as "anxious and alert." Fadhil Shuweili, an adviser to Iraq's minister of state for national security, said most rockets and mortars targeting the Green Zone are believed to come from Sunni areas on the outskirts of Baghdad.
The attack stunned a workforce normally blase about Baghdad's habitual wartime booms and blasts. A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said, "There are increasing attacks on the embassy. These are people who are trying to kill Americans," the official added. "They have someone who is a straight shooter."
A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy did not answer calls or return e-mails seeking comment early Thursday. The Tuesday attack was the gravest in a series that have hit the walled zone of about four square miles in recent days, U.S. officials said. Three rockets crashed down Wednesday, Fintor said. Two attacks, coming two hours apart, hit Monday. The zone was also hit Saturday and Sunday, officials said. At least 10 people were wounded in those attacks.
A week ago, a rocket attack landed about 100 yards from the Green Zone residence of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, jolting the room where he was holding a news conference with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. Ten rocket and mortar attacks have struck inside the heavily protected sector this month, according to the U.S. military. Most have hit in the past week.
"It's clear that there have been increasing targeting attacks against the international zone," Rear Adm. Mark I. Fox, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said at a news conference. The increased use of mortars and rockets is a "change in tactics," he said, and part of an overall strategy to disrupt the government and incite sectarian violence.
Wednesday morning, embassy personnel received a bulletin citing the "recent increase of indirect fire attacks on the embassy compound." It included strict instructions: Body armor and helmets would now be required for all "outdoor activities" within the sprawling embassy complex, even short walks to the cafeteria. There would be no group gatherings outside, including at the famed Palace Pool. No "nonessential" visitors would be allowed in the compound.
A U.S. official in Baghdad characterized embassy personnel as "anxious and alert." Fadhil Shuweili, an adviser to Iraq's minister of state for national security, said most rockets and mortars targeting the Green Zone are believed to come from Sunni areas on the outskirts of Baghdad.
Labels: Green Zone, International Zone, mortar rounds, rocket attack
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Contractor, soldier killed in International Zone
Security
(AP) - Two Americans, a contractor and a soldier, were killed in a rocket attack on the heavy guarded Green Zone on Tuesday, according to statements from the U.S. Embassy and the military. Five other people were wounded, one contractor who was seriously hurt and three with slight wounds. A second soldier also was wounded in the attack, but the military did not give a condition.
Insurgents and militia fighters routinely fire rockets and mortars into the Green Zone, the nominally secure area in central Baghdad that is site of the U.S. Embassy and the Iraqi government and parliament. The attacks seldom cause casualties or damage because they are poorly aimed and the zone contains much open space.
Minutes later the U.S. command issued a terse statement that the soldier was killed and a second wounded. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information, said all the dead and wounded were victims of the same rocket assault.
The last known U.S. death in the Green Zone was in February when an American contractor was killed in a checkpoint shooting in the Green Zone.
On Oct. 14, 2004, twin bombings struck a cafe and an open market inside the Green Zone, killing six people, including four Americans, and wounding nearly 30.
On Nov. 25, 2004, a mortar attack killed four employees of a British security firm and wounded at least 12 in the Green Zone. Britain's Foreign Office said the four security workers for London-based Global Risk Strategies were former Gurkhas, renowned Nepalese soldiers.
On Jan. 29, 2005, insurgents hit the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad with a rocket, killing two Americans, a civilian and a Navy sailor, on the eve of landmark elections. The rocket hit the embassy compound after nightfall, near the building itself. Four other Americans were wounded.
On Oct. 14, 2004, twin bombings struck a cafe and an open market inside the Green Zone, killing six people and injuring nearly 30.
Insurgents and militia fighters routinely fire rockets and mortars into the Green Zone, the nominally secure area in central Baghdad that is site of the U.S. Embassy and the Iraqi government and parliament. The attacks seldom cause casualties or damage because they are poorly aimed and the zone contains much open space.
Minutes later the U.S. command issued a terse statement that the soldier was killed and a second wounded. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information, said all the dead and wounded were victims of the same rocket assault.
The last known U.S. death in the Green Zone was in February when an American contractor was killed in a checkpoint shooting in the Green Zone.
On Oct. 14, 2004, twin bombings struck a cafe and an open market inside the Green Zone, killing six people, including four Americans, and wounding nearly 30.
On Nov. 25, 2004, a mortar attack killed four employees of a British security firm and wounded at least 12 in the Green Zone. Britain's Foreign Office said the four security workers for London-based Global Risk Strategies were former Gurkhas, renowned Nepalese soldiers.
On Jan. 29, 2005, insurgents hit the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad with a rocket, killing two Americans, a civilian and a Navy sailor, on the eve of landmark elections. The rocket hit the embassy compound after nightfall, near the building itself. Four other Americans were wounded.
On Oct. 14, 2004, twin bombings struck a cafe and an open market inside the Green Zone, killing six people and injuring nearly 30.
Labels: Green Zone, International Zone, rocket attack
