(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-03-23 19:20

BAGHDAD -- A sustained barrage of rocket or mortar fire rocked Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone early on Sunday morning, US and Iraqi police said.

Smoke rises from the US protected Green Zone in central Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 23, 2008, after it was targeted by a series of rockets or mortars. A random shooting incident killed seven people and injured 16 others in southern Baghdad on Sunday, a well-informed police source said. [Agencies]

About 10 explosions were heard in the sprawling Green Zone in central Baghdad around 6:00 a.m. (0300 GMT), an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

A US spokesman confirmed that there have been an "indirect fire attack," a term usually refers to rocket or mortar attacks.

Emergency sirens could be heard in the highly protected area which houses the government offices and foreign embassies, including the US one.

Plumes of black smoke rose over the area, while US helicopters flew overhead.

Insurgents frequently targeted the Green Zone by mortars and rockets. The roughly 10 square km area is located on the west bank of the Tigris River which bisects the Iraqi capital.

Random shooting kills 7 in Baghdad

A random shooting incident by unknown gunmen killed seven people and injured 16 others in southern Baghdad on Sunday, a well-informed police source said.

"Our latest reports said that seven people were killed and 16 others injured by the attack," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

He added that some of the wounded people are in critical condition, suggesting a possible increase of the death toll.

Earlier, the source said that gunmen in three cars opened fire randomly in a crowded area in the Seidah area in Zaafaraniyah neighborhood.

The attack came as the Iraqi capital came under two rocket barrages that targeted the residential areas and the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the Iraqi government offices and foreign embassies, including the US one.