At least 10 rockets have exploded in central Baghdad this evening, near an area that houses the headquarters of the US-led coalition.
Sirens blared for several minutes, and smoke and flames were briefly visible. The former Ministry of Foreign Affairs was on fire, a witness said.
The building was severely damaged by US bombing during the war last year. A US military mess hall sits behind the building.
Inside the Green Zone, employees at the Baghdad Convention Centre, where the US military press office is based, fled into the basement, said Army 1st Sgt. Stephen Valley, a military spokesman.
"Everyone's OK. Everyone's been accounted for," Valley said. "They're all down in the basement."
Shortly after the blasts, a US Army OH-58 Kiowa helicopter, a surveillance aircraft, and an Apache helicopter flew low over the Tigris River, possibly in an attempt to seek out the heat signature of the rocket launchers. The helicopters use infrared sights to seek out the heat left by the rocket tubes.
On March 3rd insurgents launched four mortars at the 4th Infantry Division's base in Tikrit, including one that landed near a dining hall during dinner time. No one was hurt.
Last month, the mess hall of the 1st Cavalry Division at Camp Victory on the northeastern side of Baghdad International Airport was hit by mortars. Three soldiers were injured.