| Several mortar rounds exploded in central Baghdad on Thursday, including two in the Green Zone, the enclave that houses Iraq's interim administration and several foreign embassies. At least one person was killed. Thick smoke rose from the sites of the Green Zone blasts, and sirens blared across the fortified area. Two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters arrived and landed within minutes of the detonations. A few minutes later, more shells landed on the other side of the Tigris River. One struck near a mobile phone office in the al-Arasat neighborhood, killing one person. A U.S. military spokesman confirmed the Green Zone attack but had no details. U.S. soldiers and Iraqis ran for cover in the compound housing Baghdad's international hotels. Several more blasts from an area west of the Green Zone were heard, but their exact location was not known. Last week, a mortar attack killed four employees of a British security firm and wounded at least 12 in the zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. |