US headquarters in Baghdad attacked

Iraqi insurgents bombarded the fortified headquarters of the US-led coalition in Baghdad early yesterday, the first attack on the compound since US forces launched a mass anti-guerilla offensive a month ago.

In Washington, President George W. Bush's administration was braced for a possible legal battle over its decision to bar France, Germany, Russia and other countries that opposed the Iraq war from participating in its reconstruction.

Shortly after midnight in Baghdad, several loud booms shook the city. Sirens wailed and loudspeakers warned residents inside the headquarters complex to take evasive action.

The US military could not immediately confirm what sort of munitions were fired, but sources said mortars were probably used to hammer the five kilometre square area, known as the Green Zone, on the banks of the Tigris river.

"There were four points of impact within the Green Zone," a US military spokeswoman said yesterday. "Two coalition force members were slightly wounded from flying debris, but the injuries are not life-threatening."