Baghdad blast shakes up visiting UN head

In a reminder of why the United Nations all but abandoned Iraq in 2003, an explosion rocked the Baghdad press conference of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Thursday after he made an unannounced visit to the Iraqi capital.

The blast — presumed to have been caused by Katyusha rocket — occurred shortly after Ban told reporters he was considering boosting the UN’s presence in the country because of improved security.

The U.S.-led coalition has claimed the security situation is showing signs of getting better as more U.S. soldiers arrive as part of U.S. President George W. Bush’s troop “surge.” But underscoring the continued level of danger in the violence-ridden capital, the explosion occurred inside the so-called Green Zone, where the coalition’s security measures are tightest.

Check out the video of the incident here:

Ban freaks out, as most of us probably would; Iraqi PM Maliki didn’t even flinch, and apparently shouted in Arabic: “It’s nothing, it’s nothing” as his bodyguards tried to evacuate the building. The press conference continued.

Note: the rocket was a serious piece of hardware—the blast occurred in a field 100 metres from the building, and debris fell from the ceiling, as seen on camera.

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