Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani pledged on Friday to protect diplomatic missions in his country and gave an order to hunt down those responsible for a rocket attack near the U.S. embassy earlier in the day.
“Targeting diplomatic missions is unjustified and unacceptable under any circumstances, regardless of the allegations and illusions behind these shameful acts,” according to a statement released by al-Sudani’s military spokesman Yahya Rasoul.
“Manipulating Iraq’s stability, abusing internal security, trying to undermine Iraq’s political reputation, and targeting places protected by the force of law, regulations, and international agreements are acts of terrorism,” the statement said.
The statement came after a rocket barrage in the early hours of Friday hit the vicinity of the U.S. embassy located in the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad, according to an Iraqi Interior Ministry source.
U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria have become the targets of attacks by armed Shiite militias recently, as part of retaliatory measures for the U.S. support of Israel in its ongoing conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The roughly 10-square-km Green Zone, located on the west bank of the Tigris River that bisects the Iraqi capital, has been frequently targeted by insurgents’ mortar and rocket attacks.
