BAGHDAD – Shiite militants launched rockets toward the fortified Green Zone yesterday, taking advantage of a sandstorm that gave cover from attacks by U.S. aircraft. Some rockets fell short, including one that damaged the British Broadcasting Corp. bureau.
At least seven other rocket explosions were heard, but U.S. authorities did not confirm any strikes inside the Green Zone, which includes the U.S. Embassy and much of the Iraqi government.
The U.S. military, meanwhile, said Iraqi authorities mistakenly announced yesterday that the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, had been captured in the northern city of Mosul. U.S. officials said a man who was arrested had a name similar to al-Masri's.
There have been false alarms in the past about al-Masri. At least twice – in 2006 and last May – reports circulated that he was dead.
“Iraqi officials are dealing with a developing chain of command that often leaps to conclusions and reports success before it occurs, often under pressure from the media,” said Anthony Cordesman, a security analyst for the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Responding to the latest report, Maj. Peggy Kageleiry, a U.S. military spokeswoman in northern Iraq, said: “Neither coalition forces nor Iraqi security forces detained or killed Abu Ayyub al-Masri. This guy had a similar name.”
The rocket salvos from Sadr City have come in response to a U.S.-led push into the district, the Baghdad stronghold of the powerful Mahdi army militia led by anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. One of the American objectives is to push militants deeper into Sadr City so their rockets and mortars will be unable to hit the Green Zone.
But that has increased the chances of the shells falling short into civilian areas. One rocket hit the roof of the BBC bureau, leaving a 3-by-5-foot hole.
“It caused structural damage, but no one was injured,” said Patrick Howse, the BBC bureau chief in Baghdad.
U.S. authorities plan to complete a barrier – up to 12 feet tall – in parts of Sadr City. It seeks to cut off militia movement and enable the military to exert more control over the most restive section of the district – a vast slum of about 2.5 million people.
The street battles in Sadr City began in late March after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, launched a crackdown against the Shiite armed groups in the southern city of Basra. He has vowed to disarm the Mahdi army and other groups that operate outside government control.
Aid groups say at least 6,000 people have fled the homes in Sadr City to escape the fighting and seek help as food and medical supplies dwindle.
