IRAQ: ROCKETS TARGET ITALIAN EMBASSY AND A NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE FORMER IRAQI INTELLIGENCE HQ IN BAGHDAD

Record ID: 648117

  • Title: IRAQ: ROCKETS TARGET ITALIAN EMBASSY AND A NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE FORMER IRAQI INTELLIGENCE HQ IN BAGHDAD
  • Date: 27th November 2003
  • Summary: (W4) BAGHDAD, IRAQ (NOVEMBER 27, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. VARIOUS CRANES LIFTING HUGE CONCRETE SECTIONS; SECURITY REINFORCEMENTS NEAR THE HUNGARIAN EMBASSY (4 SHOTS) 0.27 2. PAN UP: CONCRETE WALLS AROUND EMBASSY/ EUROPEAN UNION AND ITALIAN FLAGS ON TOP OF BUILDING 0.34 3. ITALIAN DIPLOMATIC DELEGATION IN BAGHDAD, MARINA CATENA, ITALIAN DIPLOMAT, WALKING OUT OF THE COMPOUND ACCOMPANIED BY A SECURITY GUARD 0.40 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CATENA, SAYING: "Yesterday evening around 11.30 p.m. we had an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) launched against our diplomatic headquarters here in Baghdad. There were no injured people, no major damages as of course at that time of evening no one was inside the offices." 1.00 5. SECURITY 1.02 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CATENA, SAYING: "Well, we have learned of course here we have to live with a very high security standard, and we have made our embassy as secure as possible, but there are of course some sort of attacks that maybe we are not prepared for." 1.23 7. CATENA WITH THREE ITALIAN BODYGUARDS IN FRONT OF THE MAIN GATE OF THE COMPOUND 1.30 (U2) BALADIYAT AREA, BAGHDAD, IRAQ (NOVEMBER 27, 2003) (REUTERS) 8. VARIOUS DAMAGES IN RESIDENTIAL AREA ATTACKED LAST NIGHT (3 SHOTS) 1.44 9. CU'S: MORTARS REMAINS ON GROUND (2 SHOTS) 1.54 10. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNIDENTIFIED RESIDENT, SAYING: "Four rockets landed at night on this residential area." 2.19 11. VARIOUS OF DAMAGE (8 SHOTS) 2.49 (W3) ABU GHRAIB, IRAQ (NOVEMBER 27, 2003) (REUTERS) 12. TRUCK ON FIRE 2.54 13. WS/PULL OUT: ANOTHER TRUCK ON FIRE (2 SHOTS) 3.10 14. TRACK: MORE OF TRUCKS ON FIRE 3.32 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 12th December 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BAGHDAD AND ABU GHRAID, IRAQ
  • Country: Iraq
  • Reuters ID: LVAC6I2XG787M2ALDE7HAU2DRZ83
  • Story Text: Rockets targeted the Italian embassy and also the
    neighbourhood of the former Iraqi intelligence headquarters
    in Baghdad causing structural damages.


    The Italian embassy in Baghdad was attacked late on Wednesday
    (November 26), the Italian news agency ANSA said, two weeks after
    19 Italians died in a suicide blast in southern Iraq in Italy's worst military
    death toll since World War Two.

    ANSA said a rocket or mortar round hit the second floor of the embassy
    shortly before midnight, causing structural damage but no injuries.

    More blast walls and concrete road blocks were added to the
    heavily-fortified building of the Hungarian embassy in downtown
    Baghdad, which houses Italian Interests Section.

    Italian diplomat, Marina Catena said that new security measures
    were being implemented in and outside the compound but danger
    still remained.

    "Well, we have learned of course here we have to live with a very
    high security standard, and we have made our embassy as secure as
    possible, but there are of course some sort of attacks that maybe
    we are not prepared for," Catena said.

    Also on Wednesday night four rockets slammed into a residential
    area of Baladiyat, in the neighbourhood of the former Iraqi
    intelligence headquarters -- currently a U.S. army base.

    The attack material damages but no casualties were reported.

    In a separate development two U.S. army trucks were looted and
    set on fire on the main Abu Ghraib highway, west of Baghdad,
    after an apparent attack on their convoy on Thursday
    (November 27).

    Witnesses said the trucks were deserted by U.S. soldiers on a
    road in Abu Ghraib area, west of Baghdad after coming under
    attack by rocket-propelled grenades.

    The attack, which left a large flat-bed truck with flat tyre
    and ablaze on the side of the road, sparked looting frenzy
    and prompted people of the area to mount the truck and unload
    its shipments of tyres, munitions and military armoured vehicles
    spare parts.

    There was no confirmation from the U.S military in Iraq on the
    nature of the incident.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register