Five explosions were heard on Wednesday near the venue for the opening of Iraq (news - web sites)'s interim national assembly, Reuters witnesses said. They said the blasts startled members of the 100-seat assembly, who had gathered inside the fortified Green Zone compound ahead of the inaugural session of the body, which was chosen last month.
The cause of the blasts was unclear but insurgents regularly fire mortars at the zone, which also houses the interim government and the U.S. embassy. Iraq's Interior Ministry said it had no details on the blasts.
When 1,300 delegates from across Iraq met to select the assembly last month, insurgents fired mortars at the meeting venue, killing two civilians nearby.
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