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The Standoff with Iraq

U.N. headquarters in Baghdad attacked

No injuries reported

January 3, 1998
Web posted at: 3:51 a.m. EST (0851 GMT)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A rocket-propelled grenade struck U.N. headquarters in Baghdad late Friday, the second attack on a United Nations building in the capital in three months, CNN has learned.

There were no reports of injuries and damage was said to be minimal. A U.N. guard at the complex said the rocket was not packed with explosives when it struck around 10:30 p.m.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, but the Iraqi Information Ministry blamed "parties which do not want stable relationship between Iraq and U.N. weapons inspectors."

An Iraqi official told CNN the grenade was likely fired from the opposite side of a three-lane highway that runs in front of the building. No arrests have been made.

The grenade shattered a window in the building's cafeteria, scattering glass across the empty room. The cafeteria was closed at the time.

Security outside the building -- located on the outskirts of Baghdad -- was tightened Saturday with Iraqi troops inspecting vehicles that entered the compound, CNN's Ben Wedeman said after touring the scene. Both Iraqi soldiers and U.N. personnel routinely guard the headquarters around the clock.

A Western diplomatic source, however, downplayed the incident, saying it is "part of working in Iraq."

The headquarters is home to the offices of U.N. arms inspectors in charge of dismantling Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Humanitarian agencies and the U.N. food distribution program also have offices in the building.

The attack follows months of tension between the Iraqi government and the United Nations over weapons inspections. The world body has demanded that its inspectors have access to some 60 sites throughout Iraq that Baghdad has declared off limits.

In early October, gunmen hurled grenades and fired bullets at the World Health Organization offices, destroying a vehicle and damaging two others parked in the compound. Iraqi officials blamed Iranian saboteurs for that attack.

Correspondent Ben Wedeman contributed to this report.

Iraq Standoff Main  |  Latest Stories  |  Message Board

Related stories:

• Journalists given tour of huge Iraqi palaces - December 19, 1997
• U.N., Iraq still at odds over oil, food, inspections - December 4, 1997

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