SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2008
12:35 MECCA TIME, 9:35 GMT
Volleys fired on Baghdad Green Zone
Nantongo refused to say whether there had been
casualties or damage as a point of security [EPA]
Baghdad's heavily protected Green Zone has been hit by
mortar bombs or rockets, but there have been no
immediate reports of casualties or damage.
A series of at least 10 explosions hit the home to the
US embassy and Iraqi government ministries on
Saturday, causing a siren to sound warning people to
take cover.
Major Brad Leighton, a US military spokesman, said: "I
can confirm that we did receive indirect fire and that
it was multiple round."
Mirembe Nantongo, a US embassy spokeswoman, refused to
say whether there had been casualties or damaged.
"To maintain operational security, we do not comment
on indirect fire into the international ئone,"
she said.
The 10sq km Green Zone, located on the left bank of
the Tigris river, which cuts through Baghdad, has
often been targeted by mortars and rockets, although
attacks have declined as security has improved in the
capital.
The US military has blamed such attacks on so-called
"special groups", which they say are rogue elements of
Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.
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On Friday, al-Sadr renewed a six-month ceasefire which
he first called in August to reorganise his fragmented
group.
The US says the Mahdi Army ceasefire is vital to
maintaining security in the country, but said it would
continue to hunt down the rogue units.
"It [the ceasefire extension] is an important
commitment that can broadly contribute to further
improvements in security for all Iraqi citizens, the
US military said in a statement.
A leading Iraqi journalist was also shot and wounded
in the centre of Baghdad on Saturday. Shihab al-Timim
was driving to a union meeting when his vehicle was
fired on.
Pull-out possibilities
On Friday, Robert Gates, the US defence secretary,
said he hopes to pull more troops out of Iraq after a
July or August reassessment.
Speaking during a bilateral security review with Kevin
Rudd, the Australian prime minister, in Australia,
Gates said: "My hope still is that we will be able to
further draw down our troops in Iraq over the course
of the next 10 to 12 months."
Under current plans, the Pentagon is withdrawing five
of its 20 combat brigades - around 20,000 troops -
from Iraq in mid-July.
Both Rudd, left, and Gates, right, are looking to
pull troops out in the middle of the year [AFP]
Gates previously said he hoped to continue pulling
about one brigade out per month through to the end of
the year.
But since then, General David Petraeus, the senior US
commander in Iraq, has recommended a pause in
withdrawals to assess the security situation.
Gates said Petraeus convinced him that a pause would
be appropriate.
"My hope would be that it would be a relatively brief
period. But we will see in greater detail what General
Petraeus has in mind when he brings his
recommendations back to Washington and to the
president next month," Gates said.
The US has about 158,000 troops in Iraq.
Rudd's centre-left government confirmed this week that
it would honour an election pledge to pull 550 combat
troops out of southern Iraq by the middle of the year.
Australia will still have about 1,000 military
personnel in Iraq, including a 110-strong security
detachment in Baghdad and personnel for aircraft and a
warship based outside Iraq.
On Saturday, Australia also said it had no plans to
add more troops to its force in Afghanistan, but
reaffirmed its close security relations with the US.
"Above all it is clear we agree on the challenges we
face together and the solutions we must forge
together," Gates said.
The two sides also discussed China, and shared views
on developments in southeast Asia and the Pacific
islands.
Source: Agencies
---------------
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