Eight dead in Baghdad Green Zone blasts
Two explosions rocked Baghdad’s heavily-fortified Green Zone in quick succession today and a US military spokesman said initial reports showed that eight people were killed and four wounded.
It was not immediately clear what caused the midday blasts inside the compound, which houses key US and Iraqi government offices.
US Cavalry Major Phil Smith said in one location, six people were killed and three were wounded. Two were killed and one was injured at the other.
US officials said all the victims were civilians but they would not specify nationalities.
Thick black smoke billowed from one of the blast sites, which appeared to be close to the main palace.
The Green Zone is a regular target of insurgents, who have frequently fired mortar rounds at the compound. There have also been a number of deadly car bombings at its gates.
In further fatal attacks, an Iraqi female TV reporter was killed by gunmen in a morning drive-by shooting in Baghdad today.
Zeina Mahmoud, who worked for Kurdish-run Al-Hurriya TV, was shot by three assailants driving by in an Opel car, said officials.
In an apparently unrelated shooting that took place less than a half mile away, a judge was shot dead just minutes earlier.
