IRAQ: Report: US Embassy moving elsewhere. Sunni group claims GreenZone attacks - Arablinks

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Report: US Embassy moving elsewhere. Sunni group claims GreenZone
attacks
Arablinks

March 31, 2008

The Qatari paper AlArab had this on its front page this morning:

A military source lifted the veil on information that the American
ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker has decided to change the location of
the American Embassy [which is now] in the Green Zone in Baghdad,
because it has been suject to a series of rocket attacks in recent
days, that have led to the killing and injuring of a number of
American employees.

General Faisal AlAsafi, commander of a Green Zone entrance-
protection unit, told AlArab that American Ambassador Ryan Crocker
gave the order Saturday night to more the location of the Baghdad
Embassy, temporarily, from the Green Zone to an alternate location,
which he didn't specify. He said a crew composed of dozens of
officials and diplomats moved the contents of the embassy to another
location toward the west[ern part of] Baghdad, fearing additional
rocket attacks on the Green Zone, insisting that the move is a
temporary one, with the aim of the success of the joint forces in
stopping the rocket attacks on the Green Zone, and pointing out that
the British and Australian embassies might take the same decision in
the coming hours.

And Asafi said many parliamentarians and ministers have emptied
their premises in the Green Zone following a series of attacks that
were accurate and precise in targeting the offices of foreign
embassies and the government of Iraq, and the homes of many of
ministers and parliamentarians.

The AlArab reporter notes that American officials have barred his
paper and others from bringing any video equipment into the Green Zone
since the attacks started, and have barred the taking of any pictures
of the damage.

The AlArab reporter still assumes that all the attacks have been by
the Mehdi Army. But Roads to Iraq points out that there has now been a
published claim of responsibility by the Sunni resistance faction
Jaish al-Muslimin, part of the Jihad and Change Front, for all of the
attacks on the Green Zone since Saturday March 29 and including those
of this morning (Monday March 31).