Six Hurt in Attack on Baghdad's Green Zone

Six people were wounded after nine rounds of what appeared to be mortar bombs slammed into the heavily fortified Green Zone.

Six people were wounded after nine rounds of what appeared to be mortar bombs slammed into the heavily fortified Green Zone compound in central Baghdad on Wednesday, a U.S. embassy spokesman said.

Insurgents have recently stepped up mortar and rocket attacks on the zone, which houses parliament, many government ministries, the U.S. embassy and other foreign missions.

Five U.S. embassy contract workers were hurt on Tuesday when at least one round of "indirect fire" landed in the zone. Earlier this month, four U.S. government contractors, all from Asia, were killed in a rocket strike.

A U.S. embassy spokesman did not provide more details of Wednesday's attack.

Sunni Arab insurgents fighting U.S. forces in Iraq have claimed responsibility for mortar attacks on the Green Zone, which housed Saddam Hussein's main presidential palace until he was toppled in a U.S. invasion in 2003.

Casualties are still rare despite the frequency of more rocket and mortar attacks, mainly because there are large open spaces in the Green Zone, which also contains other diplomatic missions and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq.