Green Zone Attacked

This story coming out of Baghdad, indicates that even with al-Sadr's extension of the ceasefire, that there are terrorists who can get close enough to launch rockets or mortars into the "famous, safe" Green Zone.

Rockets or mortars hit the U.S.-protected Green Zone early Saturday, just a day after powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his Mahdi Army militia to extend its cease-fire by another six months.

Nearly 10 blasts could be heard in the sprawling area along the Tigris River that houses the U.S. and British embassies, the Iraqi government headquarters and thousands of American troops. It was not immediately clear whether there were casualties. Maj. Brad Leighton, a U.S. military spokesman, confirmed the Green Zone was hit by indirect fire, the military's term for a rocket or mortar attack, but could not provide more details.

The flurry of attacks followed a substantial lull in such violence as security has increased in the capital over the last half-year. Earlier in the week, the U.S. military blamed Iranian-backed Shiite militias that have broken away from al-Sadr's block for the rocket attacks. Iran denies that it sponsors extremists in Iraq.

Is this new uptick in violence and indication that the gains made by the Surge, are at their pinnacle, and we are now going to see a descent back into the violence before the Surge! For our Troops, and the Iraqi civilians, I hope this is not the case, but as of today, it does not look good for them!


mortars or rockets