] US military officers in Baghdad have warned they cannot
] guarantee the security of the perimeter around the Green
] Zone, the headquarters of the Iraqi government and home
] to the US and British embassies, according to security
] company employees.
]
] At a briefing earlier this month, a high-ranking US
] officer in charge of the zone's perimeter said he had
] insufficient soldiers to prevent intruders penetrating
] the compound's defences.
]
] The US major said it was possible weapons or explosives
] had already been stashed in the zone, and warned people
] to move in pairs for their own safety. The Green Zone, in
] Baghdad's centre, is one of the most fortified US
] installations in Iraq. Until now, militants have not been
] able to penetrate it.
]
] But insurgency has escalated this week, spreading to the
] centre of Baghdad.