Baghdad's Green Zone comes under fire: US

A mortar bomb struck the heavily fortified Green Zone in the heart of Baghdad on Sunday, the US military said.

"The IZ (International Zone) took an IDF (indirect fire) this morning," an army spokesman said via e-mail, without providing any further information.

The Iraqi interior ministry could not immediately provide details of the incident when contacted.

The Green Zone is home to Iraqi government offices and a number of foreign missions including the US embassy.

While attacks remain a regular occurrence in Iraq, the level of violence has dropped markedly in recent months. The last month saw the fewest deaths from violence since the US-led invasion in 2003, according to official figures.

On May 22, two people were killed by a rocket attack on the Green Zone.

Sunday's attack comes ahead of a June 30 deadline for the US army to leave Iraqi cities and major towns ahead of a complete withdrawal from Iraq by the end of 2011, under a security accord signed between Baghdad and Washington.