Shells Hit Baghdad's Green Zone After 3-Month Lull

Suspected militants shelled Baghdad's protected Green Zone today in the first such bombardment in more than 3 months. The back-to-back strikes reverberated across the Tigris River to a popular promenade, sending families packing up from fish restaurants and abruptly halting a party at a club. No casualties or damage have been reported, the US military said.

Violence across Iraq remains sharply down compared with past years, but attacks and bloodshed have increased in recent weeks and brought worries that it could slow the return of nightlife and commerce to parts of Baghdad. Meanwhile, Iraqi forces launched raids west of Baghdad, where authorities fear Sunni insurgents could be seeking to regain footholds in areas they once controlled.