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Eight rockets had been fired at the closely fortified space, with at least one Iraqi soldier injured when a rocket landed close to an Iraqi safety checkpoint, based on an announcement from the Iraqi navy.

The navy mentioned many of the rockets hit the Qadisiya residential neighborhood close to the US Embassy, damaging a number of buildings and vehicles.

The US Embassy mentioned minor injury was prompted to the embassy compound however that there have been no accidents or casualties.

A spokesman for the Presidency of the Republic of Iraq issued a written assertion saying “targeting the Green Zone is a terrorist act that endangers the security and lives of innocent citizens and their property.

“It represents a concentrating on of the nation’s sovereignty and nationwide efforts to protect the state’s status,” the statement said. “Targeting diplomatic missions undermines Iraq’s worldwide status and its international relations.”

In an announcement launched on Facebook, the US Embassy in Baghdad mentioned the rocket assault “resulted in engagement of Embassy defensive programs.”

Witnesses in Baghdad said the C-RAM defense system installed at the US Embassy was activated to intercept incoming rockets. Video on social media showed tracers from the C-RAM in the skies over the Green Zone.

The embassy statement said there “was some minor injury to the Embassy compound however no accidents or casualties.” The statement added, “We have acquired experiences of injury to residential areas close to the US Embassy and presumably some accidents to harmless Iraqi civilians.”

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The US Embassy assertion known as on Iraqi leaders to “take steps to stop such assaults and maintain accountable these accountable.” It said “these types of assaults on diplomatic services are a violation of worldwide legislation and a direct assault on the sovereignty of the Iraqi authorities.

In an earlier assertion, the Iraqi navy mentioned an “outlaw group” had fired the rockets from the al-Rasheed camp in southern Baghdad.

The Green Zone is an space of Iraq’s capital metropolis the place the embassies of a number of western nations are positioned. It is basically considered as a protected location, however is incessantly the goal of rocket assaults.

Rockets have beforehand been fired at the Green Zone to protest the US troop presence in Iraq.

In an assault final month, seven rockets had been fired on the inexperienced zone, killing at least one youngster and injuring 5 different civilians, based on the Iraqi navy.
But the November 17 assault got here simply after the Trump administration introduced that the US will withdraw hundreds extra US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan by Jan 15, 2021.

The deliberate withdrawal will go away roughly 2,500 troops in each nations.

CNN’s Aqeel Najim reported from Baghdad, Hamdi Alkhshali reported from Atlanta and Nicky Roberston reported from Washington. Susannah Cullinane additionally contributed to this report.

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