A key facility in the ‘Green Zone’, the most heavily guarded in Iraq, was attacked by a drone.
The Green Zone is a highly secure area in Baghdad where foreign missions such as government buildings and US embassies are concentrated.
The term “green zone” itself became widely known after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 to refer to the high-security area in the center of the capital, Baghdad.
The perimeter is surrounded by high concrete walls, and there is a strong check at the entrance.
An air defense interception system is also established in the green zone, so it is possible to defend against rocket attacks to a large extent.
Because of this, attacks aimed at the Green Zone have been done with rockets or drones.
However, the rocket attacks were blocked by the air defense system every time and could not hit the key facilities.
On July 8, the US embassy in Green Zone was hit by two rockets.
One of these shots was intercepted and the other fell around the green zone and did no damage.
In November of last year, seven Kathusha rockets were fired towards the Green Zone, but only one of them fell 600 meters from the US embassy.
However, the attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on the 7th was different.
According to the AP/AFP news agency, the prime minister’s residence was located within the green zone, but was hit by a drone attack.
In a video released by the Iraqi government, the doors and windows of the prime minister’s residence were completely shattered.
The van parked in the courtyard of the residence was completely burned.
An unexploded ordnance the size of a 2-liter plastic bottle was also found.
Fortunately, Prime Minister Al-Kadhimi was unharmed, but seven security personnel were injured.
State-run INA news agency reported that three drones were used in the attack, two of which were shot down.
No organization claimed to be the cause or behind the attack.
However, Western media believe that the attack was caused by pro-Iranian forces, who lost many seats in the recent general election.
The British daily The Guardian described the attack as the first attempt to kill an Iraqi leader since the US operation to eliminate Saddam Hussein 19 years ago.
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