Baghdad, Nov 17: Employees of Iraq's Central Bank were evacuated today while a rocket which landed nearby was defused, witnesses said. A salvo of rockets crashed into the heart of Baghdad on Sunday night, probably aiming for the bank and adjacent financial institutions, witnesses said.

One of the rockets landed in the nearby courtyard of the 19th century Chaldean church but failed to explode, said church guard Mohammad Jassem. Another rocket hit a local cafe but no one was injured. Explosions and gunfire ring out over Baghdad most night, usually targeting the headquarters of the coalition controlling Iraq or police stations as insurgents press the battle against US-led occupation.

Bureau Report