Green Zone hit by mortars again

The Green Zone is the most heavily fortified area in the country, but despite years of occupation including the current surge, it still gets attacked by mortars almost weekly. Baghdad is the ostensible focus of the surge, as well as the home of several sectarian militias that manange to torture and kill hundreds a month in the middle of a huge troop presence. So this is what $2 billion a week gets us. I think one real "sign of improvement" would be if our "embassy" would stop getting hit by mortars.

Mortar barrage hits Baghdad Green Zone

Mortar rounds landed on the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad on Tuesday while the U.S. and Iranian delegations were holding a second landmark meeting over Iraq's worsening security situation, a well-informed police source said.

"Several mortar rounds landed on the Green Zone shortly after 11:00 a.m. (0800 GMT)," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

It was not known whether there was any casualty or where exactly the rounds landed, the source said.

The attack occurred about an hour and a half after the start of the meeting of U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Kazemi Qomi in the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

The U.S. military did not confirm the incident yet.

The U.S.-controlled Green Zone is a vast area on the west bank of the Tigris River, which houses the Iraqi government offices and foreign embassies, including the U.S. embassy.

Source: Xinhua