More rockets fired during Biden visit

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — Insurgents fired at least two rockets at Baghdad’s Green Zone on Wednesday, just minutes after Vice President Joe Biden wrapped up meetings with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki expressing confidence that attempts to destabilize Iraq through violence will fail.

The sound of the rockets being fired could be heard on the side of the Tigris River opposite the Green Zone, and people inside al-Maliki’s office where the meetings took place, including Biden and al-Maliki themselves, were warned to stay inside. The rockets could be heard exploding in the vicinity of the Green Zone, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

It was the second such attack in two nights as Biden met with American and Iraqi officials inside the Green Zone, a fortified area in downtown Baghdad that houses government offices, agencies and the U.S. and British embassies.

After Biden’s arrival Tuesday, four rockets were fired at the Green Zone in an attack that killed two Iraqi civilians.

The attacks took place after Biden had retired for the night after meetings with American officials on the first day of his visit. Three suspects were detained for questioning in the attack but were later let go.

After the meeting with Maliki, Biden said Iraq’s future depended on its ability to resolve its lingering political and sectarian differences, adding that the United States was “committed to the Iraqi government and people as they work to create a peaceful and prosperous Iraq.”

Although violence has declined around Iraq, deadly attacks still occur.