Current Events
Baghdad in Turmoil With Protests, Attack By STEVEN R. HURST Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Large portions of Baghdad were in turmoil Tuesday after attackers fired an explosive into the Foreign Ministry compound, former intelligence officers demanding back pay or jobs hurled paving stones at American forces and U.S. soldiers confronted a big demonstration of Shiite Muslims. There were no known injuries in any of the incidents, but traffic in the center of the capital was at a near standstill. Streets around the Foreign Ministry and Saddam Hussein's former Republican Palace - headquarters of the U.S.-lead Coalition Provisional Authority - were blocked by U.S. soldiers in armored vehicles and Iraqi police. The compounds are about a half-mile apart. Witness Hussein Amin said the mortar shell or rocket-propelled grenade fired at the ministry compound landed near the office of Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and broke windows. Zebari was not there. Workers in the compound came streaming out and Iraqi guards fired rifles in the air.
