Iraqi Foreign Ministry attacked
A projectile was fired at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry in Baghdad today, causing a large explosion but no casualties, witnesses said.
Iraqi guards fired rifles in the air shortly after the midmorning blast.
Five US army Humvees and two armoured personnel carriers sped to the scene and several streets in the area were sealed off.
Witness Hussein Amin said the projectile – either a rocket-propelled grenade or a mortar – apparently exploded in the ministry compound, causing minimal damage but sending staff streaming out of the offices, half a mile from the palace headquarters of the US led coalition.
Security was already tight in the area because of demonstration by about 2,000 former Iraqi intelligence service staff who have been gathering there weekly to demand pay or their old jobs back.
Protesters shouted slogans in support of Saddam Hussein and “Bush, Bush, Ali Baba,” which means thief in Iraqi slang.
The crowd scattered when US soldiers advanced toward them.
