A new rocket attack has targeted Baghdad's al-Jadriya residential district, near the heavily fortified Green Zone, the Iraqi Ministry of Defence said Monday (October 5th).

"Terrorist criminal groups have once again targeted peaceful citizens in their areas of residence," it said in a statement.

Early Monday morning, they launched two Katyusha rockets from the area of al-Salam Apartments in al-Jihad neighbourhood in the west of the capital, it said.

The first missile fell behind the Babylon Hotel in al-Jadriya, while the second landed near the Iraqi Airways building in the same area.

One vehicle belonging to a civilian was set on fire in the attack but no casualties have been reported.

Also on Monday, missile fire targeted US military base Victoria, which lies within the vicinity of Baghdad International Airport, according to local media reports.

Following the attacks, tight security measures were enforced in Baghdad with a high number of Iraqi aircraft flying over the capital.

Government resolved to end attacks

"The government is determined to stop these attacks and hold those responsible to account," said Iyad al-Jubouri, a member of the parliamentary security and defense committee.

Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhemi's government is serious about dealing firmly with the perpetrators of the missile attacks against diplomatic missions and civilian and military sites, al-Jubouri told Diyaruna Tuesday.

"It is committed to keep the promises it has made to consolidate stability and safeguard the country's security," he said.

On September 30th, six rockets fell near Erbil Airport and displacement camps in the Kurdish region. They were launched from Wadi Tarjala in al-Hamdaniya district in Ninawa province.

Following the attack, the government opened an investigation and gave instructions to arrest the commander of the force responsible for the area the rockets were launched from.

In an earlier attack, five Iraqi children and two women from the same family were killed September 28th when a rocket targeting Baghdad airport, where US troops are stationed, fell instead on their home.

Iran-backed groups are often blamed for launching these attacks with the aim of "embarrassing the government in front of the international community, particularly after the messages of reassurances recently given to ambassadors", said al-Jubouri.

Kadhemi on September 30th held a meeting with ambassadors from 25 countries and assured them that his government is making every effort to protect diplomatic missions and sites.

Security forces have begun taking the necessary measures to achieve this goal, he said in a statement, stressing that the perpetrators of the rocket attacks are trying to destabilise Iraq and sabotage its regional and international relations.

"Today, there are statements of denunciation and rejection by all national parties of the threats to diplomatic missions," said al-Jubouri.

They clearly affirm that these are acts that "harm the country's reputation and do not serve the interests of the people," he said.

Important leads have been obtained regarding the rocket attacks on the Green Zone, Iraq's military spokesman Yahya Rasul said in a statement to the Iraqi News Agency Sunday.

Work is under way to track down those who launched the rockets according to a "precise intelligence plan" and with the help of investigation teams formed by order of the Prime Minister, he said.