Sirens at US embassy in Baghdad as 2 rockets land in Green Zone area – reports

Two rockets have reportedly landed in the Green Zone in Baghdad, setting off sirens at the US embassy. Witnesses report seeing smoke and hearing explosions.

One of the rockets reportedly fell near the Turkish embassy.

The attack comes less than a week after two unguided ‘Katyusha’ rockets landed inside the Green Zone on Monday, an incident which resulted in no casualties.

The heavily fortified compound has been repeatedly hit with rocket attacks over the past few months, though the blasts rarely strike personnel within. The Iraqi government’s official position is to condemn the attacks, even as the US presence on Iraqi soil has recently regressed into an occupation following a parliamentary vote to order foreign troops out of Iraq.

Iraq is in the midst of political upheaval, with prime minister-designate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi having withdrawn from the position earlier this week after he was unable to get his cabinet approved by Parliament. Acting PM Adel Abdul Mahdi abdicated his post shortly thereafter, calling for early elections.

READ MORE: Iraq’s acting PM steps aside after designated successor quits

While Allawi was supported by some of the protesters who have been demanding a total overhaul of government for months, others opposed him, and his proposition for a totally independent government with no party candidates was unpopular among Iraq’s political class.

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