A fire can be seen behind the former Presidential Palace within the heavily-fortified area known as the 'Green Zone,' a base for Coalition forces and civilian personnel, after missiles were fired Sunday evening in Baghdad, Iraq. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Car Bomb, Rockets Explode in Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A car bomb and at least 10 rockets exploded Sunday night in central Baghdad near the area housing the headquarters of the U.S.-led coalition, officials said. Sirens blared for several minutes, and smoke and flames were visible.
The former Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs was on fire, a witness said. The building already was severely damaged by U.S. bombing during the war last year. A U.S. military mess hall sits behind the building.
The rockets struck at about 7:30 p.m. on the northern edge of the Green Zone, which houses the coalition headquarters.
Iraqi police said there were no casualties from the car bomb, which detonated outside the building. There was no immediate word on casualties from the rocket attacks.
Inside the Green Zone, employees at the Baghdad Convention Center, where the U.S. military press office is based, fled into the basement, said Army 1st Sgt. Stephen Valley, a military spokesman.
"Everyone's OK. Everyone's been accounted for," Valley said. "They're all down in the basement."
A U.S. military spokesman confirmed that 10 explosions occurred "in the vicinity of" the convention center, and said officials were investigating.
Shortly after the blasts, a U.S. Army OH-58 Kiowa helicopter, a surveillance aircraft, and an Apache helicopter flew low over the Tigris River, possibly to seek out the heat signature of the rocket launchers. The helicopters use infrared sights to seek out the heat left by the rocket tubes.
The Green Zone was last struck on March 3, when a U.S. Army spokesman confirmed that a rocket hit the area. No one was injured and no damage was reported. On the same day, insurgents fired four mortars at the 4th Infantry Division's base in the northern city of Tikrit, including one that landed near a dining hall during dinner time. No one was hurt.
Last month, the mess hall of the 1st Cavalry Division at Camp Victory on the northeastern side of Baghdad International Airport was hit by mortars. Three soldiers were hurt.