BAGHDAD - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was left shaken but unhurt on Thursday on his first visit to Baghdad after a Katyusha rocket landed just yards from a building where he was giving a news conference.
Moments after telling journalists he might boost the United Nations’ presence in Iraq because of improved security, a thunderous blast sent shock waves through the conference venue, startling Ban and sending him ducking for cover behind a podium.
Security guards grabbed hold of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki who was standing next to Ban at the time and was dusted by small bits of debris that fell from the ceiling.
Without commenting on the explosion, which sent a large column of smoke into the air, Ban recovered his composure and took one further question before leaving the conference room.
Interior Minister Jawad Bolani played down the incident afterwards, telling Reuters: “This was not a security breach. Things like this happen in Baghdad once or twice a week.”
A Reuters reporter at the scene said the rocket landed on a small building about 50 yards from the news conference site, a guesthouse in the prime minister’s compound. The Interior Ministry said it landed in a field outside the compound.
Earlier, Ban praised Maliki’s “strong leadership” and said: ”As we see the improved situation on the ground, I am considering to increase the presence of the United Nations.”
So Ban praised Maliki's strong leadership and the improved situation with the ground war in Iraq--and then BOOM! The timing of Ban's statement and the explosion is just perfect--should Ban...maybe...revise his statement here?
MSNBC has the video of Ban's speech during the explosion.
Update: The video is now up on YouTube:
You can also find a YouTube video here of a BBC TV station's breaking news, but the quality isn't as good.
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