Three rockets hit near US embassy in Baghdad

The US has blamed Iran-backed paramilitary groups for a spate of similar attacks

theweek-breaking-news

Three rockets hit near the US embassy in the Iraqi capital's high-security Green Zone, security sources told AFP, with no immediate reports of casualties.

Sirens could be heard across the zone immediately after the rockets made impact.

The US has blamed Iran-backed paramilitary groups for a spate of similar attacks in recent months on the Green Zone, but there has never been a claim of responsibility.

On January 12, four rockets had slammed into an Iraqi airbase north of Baghdad where US troops are based, military sources told AFP, with security forces saying four Iraqi airmen were wounded. Reuters reported that the mortar bombs fell inside Al-Balad air base, and four Iraqi soldiers were wounded in the attack. A majority of US airmen stationed at the Al-Balad airbase north of Baghdad had already left, AFP reported, following tensions between the US and Iran over the last two weeks.

Military bases hosting US troops have been subject to volleys of rocket and mortar attacks in recent months that have mostly wounded Iraqi forces, but also killed one American contractor last month.

-Inputs from PTI