US embassy in Iraq hit by mortar fire; 1 injured
BAGHDAD – A top U.S. commander said Monday mortars were used in an attack on the American embassy in Baghdad that injured one person and caused some material damage the previous night, not katyusha rockets as was initially reported by staffers and a statement from the military.
Gen. Frank McKenzie, a top U.S. commander for the Middle East, told reporters traveling with him that the mortar attack started a fire that was doused. He said no U.S. military members were injured, but that one U.S. national received a minor injury and has returned to work.
The two staff members of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, initially said it had been rockets that slammed into a restaurant inside the American compound.
Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi received a phone call from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in which they condemned the embassy attack and discussed measures to strengthen Iraqi forces responsible for protecting diplomatic missions and procedures to prevent a similar attack, according to a statement from the premier’s office.
The U.S. Embassy is within the Iraqi capital’s Green Zone and has been a flashpoint amid wider regional tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which have played out inside Iraq in recent weeks. Iraqi supporters of an Iran-backed militia stormed the embassy compound on Dec. 31, smashing the main door and setting fire to the reception area.