Katyusha rocket falls in Baghdad's Green zone where US embassy is located, no casualties

A rocket was fired into Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone where the embassies of the US and other countries are located, the Iraqi military said, adding that casualties were avoided in the incident.

“A Katyusha rocket fell in the middle of the Green Zone without causing any losses, details to come later,” a statement by the military read.

“Initial reports indicate that the rocket was fired from an open field” in the southern part of the Iraqi capital, a police source told AFP.

There was a loud bang, the witnesses said, adding that sirens briefly sounded in the city after the attack.

The Katyusha is multiple rocket launcher, which was developed in the Soviet Union during the World War II. The cheap and effective systems that could be mounted on ordinary trucks were further developed after the war. They were supplied to many countries, including Iraq.

The incident occurred amid the rising tensions between the US and Iraqi neighbor, Iran. Washington has recently deployed an aircraft carrier group and sent B-52 bombers on patrol there in a move to intimidate Tehran.

Despite both sides assuring that there’ll be no war, major US energy company Exxon Mobil evacuated around 60 of its foreign staff from the oilfield in southern Iraq as a precautionary measure earlier this week. Baghdad slammed the move as “politically motivated,” insisting that the employees were out of danger.

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