Rockets Fall Inside Baghdad Green Zone After Deadly Nationwide Protests In Iraq

Three Katyusha rockets struck the Green Zone on January 21 in central Baghdad where many government buildings and foreign missions are located, Iraqi police sources told Reuters.

They were launched from the Zafaraniyah district outside the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and two projectiles fell near the U.S. Embassy in the heavily fortified zone.

No one was injured and only material damage was reported in the shelling, the Al Hadath TV channel reported.

The early morning shelling came a day after anti-government protests resumed in Iraq in which six Iraqis, including two police officers, were killed and dozens were wounded in Baghdad and other cities.

Protesters in southern Iraq burned tires and blocked main roads in several cities, saying that Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi had not delivered on promises, including naming a new government acceptable to Iraqis.

Mass demonstrations have been a common occurrence in Iraq since October 1, with protesters demanding a makeover of a political system that they perceive as corrupt and which keeps most people impoverished.

More than 450 people have been killed in the unrest.

There was a lull of several weeks when attention turned to the escalating conflict between the United States and Iran following the killing earlier this month of Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian general.

Tehran responded to the lethal U.S. drone attack on Soleimani by firing ballistic missiles on two Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops.

Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS