US-Protected Green Zone Under Attack; Two Killed outside Iraqi Vice President's Office
By VOA News
28 March 2008
The U.S.-protected "Green Zone" in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, has again come under attack, leaving two Iraqi guards dead outside Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi's office.
Latest reports from the scene indicate that the vice president was not there at the time of the attack Friday. A thick cloud of smoke rose over the zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy and much of the Iraqi government.
Militants have been bombarding the Green Zone since Sunday. At least two American have been killed in the attacks, and the U.S. State Department has urged all U.S. Embassy personnel to stay inside reinforced buildings.
Meanwhile, Iraq's parliament is holding an emergency session aimed at ending the violence in Basra and other southern Iraqi cities that has killed more than 100 people over the past few days.
Earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki extended a deadline - due to expire Friday - for Shi'ite gunmen fighting government forces to surrender their weapons. Mr. Maliki said militants will be rewarded financially if they hand over their weapons by April 8.
Coalition forces dropped bombs in Basra Friday for the first time in support of Iraqi ground forces.
A leading Iranian Shi'ite cleric urged Iraq's government and Shi'ite militant groups to negotiate an end to the clashes. Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati issued the appeal during Friday prayers in Tehran.
The militants are mostly followers of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has called for a political solution to the crisis.
Clashes between Sadr's Mahdi Army and Iraqi forces in southern Iraq and Baghdad are straining a seven-month cease-fire called by the cleric.
Iraqi authorities imposed a three-day curfew in Baghdad in a bid to contain violent clashes. Under the curfew, which will last until five a.m. Sunday, no unauthorized vehicles or pedestrians are allowed on the streets.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
