Plane with US lawmakers shot at in Iraq

A military airplane carrying four members of the US Congress came under fire over Iraq but the plane was not hit and no one was hurt, a spokesman for one of the lawmakers said yesterday.

The C-130 cargo aircraft conducted evasive maneuvers after a night-time takeoff from Baghdad, said Ken Lundberg, spokesman for Senator Mel Martinez of Florida, who was on the plane.

In addition to Mr Martinez, the plane was carrying fellow Republican Senators Richard Shelby of Alabama and James Inhofe of Oklahoma, and Alabama Representative Robert "Bud" Cramer, a Democrat.

Mr Lundberg said Senator Martinez had been told three rocket-propelled grenades were fired at the plane. But a senior US defence official in Washington said small arms fire appeared to have been responsible.

A number of US lawmakers have been visiting Baghdad ahead of a series of pivotal reports to be delivered to Congress in the coming weeks on the security and political situation in Iraq.