Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: A missile struck a helipad inside the US Embassy in Baghdad on March 14, two security officials said.
The projectile landed within the embassy’s boundaries after the Green Zone, the heavily fortified district in central Baghdad that houses Iraqi government institutions and foreign embassies, added the security officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to speak with the press.
Video obtained by the Associated Press showed smoke billowing from inside the compound.
There was no immediate comment from the US Embassy in Baghdad. On Friday, the embassy renewed its Level 4 security alert for Iraq, warning that Iran and Iran-aligned militia groups have previously carried out attacks against US citizens, interests and infrastructure, and “may continue to target them.”
The sprawling embassy complex, one of the largest US diplomatic facilities in the world, has been repeatedly targeted by rockets and drones in the past by Iran-aligned militias.
These groups have recently stepped up attacks on bases hosting US and coalition troops. Meanwhile US President Donald Trump was asked on the Brian Kilmeade Show about the timeline of the war, which he previously described as a “brief excursion”.
“When it’s over –– and I don’t think it’s going to be long –– when it’s over, this is going to bounce back so fast,” he president said. The US has attacked a piece of vital infrastructure in Iran that has so far been untouched by the war.
