13 wounded in Baghdad rocket barrage

Thirteen people were wounded in a rocket barrage on Baghdad Green Zone on Saturday, an Interior Ministry source said.

Eight Katyusha rockets targeted Baghdad's Green Zone that houses U.S. embassy and some Iraqi government offices, but four of the rockets missed the zone and hit surrounding civilian areas, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

One of the rockets struck a parking lot in Bab al-Sharji area in downtown Baghdad, wounding six civilians, the source said.

Another rocket landed on a marketplace in al-Gailani neighborhood in downtown Baghdad, wounding four people, the source added.

Three more people were wounded by a third rocket in al-Jadriyah district in southern Baghdad, while the fourth one landed on the side of the Tigris River near the Green Zone without causing casualties, he said.

Another four rockets landed inside the heavily fortified Green Zone, while it was still unclear whether they caused any casualty, he added.

The heavily fortified Green Zone has been frequently targeted by insurgents' mortar and rocket attacks. The roughly 10 square km zone is located on the west bank of the Tigris River which bisects the Iraqi capital.

The U.S. military did not confirm the attack on the Green Zone yet.

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