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Thursday, May 03, 2007
Rocket attack kills Filipino, 3 foreign contractors in Baghdad (8:45 p.m.)
BAGHDAD -- A rocket attack on Iraq's heavily fortified Green Zone killed four foreign contractors working for the US government, the American embassy said Thursday.
It was the third straight day that extremists used rockets or mortars to hit the area where Iraq's parliament meets.
The embassy initially said all those killed in Wednesday's attack were from the Philippines but said later that only one of the contractors was from the Philippines, while another was from Nepal and two were from India. It did not immediately provide an explanation for the change.
Wednesday was the third straight day that the US-controlled area in central Baghdad was hit by rockets or mortars, heightening concerns about security in the area that is home to the US and British embassies and thousands of American troops.
The embassy said Wednesday's attack left it "with a profound sense of sadness and regret" over the loss of the contractors who "were integral members of our embassy community."
The brief statement provided no other details about the attack, including the time or location of the explosion in the Green Zone, which is home to the US and British embassies and thousands of American troops. Such information often is withheld to avoid giving extremists information for future attacks on the area.
However, the whistle of suspected rockets had been heard passing over the Tigris River in central Baghdad and into the Green Zone on Wednesday evening. (AP)
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