Several mortars were fired on Thursday at the Italian embassy in Baghdad, causing some Iraqi deaths, the Foreign Ministry in Rome said.
No Italians were hurt in the attack, it said.
The attack came hours before the arrival in Italy of United States President George Bush for talks with Premier Silvio Berlusconi, one of the US administration’s staunchest allies in Europe.
The ministry said it did not have details on the number of Iraqis killed or their identities. Unconfirmed reports said two Iraqis died, the Ansa news agency said.
The mortars exploded at 12.15pm GMT, said the ministry.
The building was not damaged. However, the ministry said, most of the embassy’s personnel was being transferred to the heavily guarded Green Zone, the US-led coalition headquarters in central Baghdad.
Security was also being tightened around the embassy, the ministry said.
Last month, mortars were exploded near the embassy, but the building was not hit. In November, the Italian diplomatic mission was hit and damaged by a rocket or mortar but there were no injuries.
Anti-coalition fighters regularly fire missiles, rockets and rocket-propelled grenades against targets in Baghdad.
Italy was one of the strongest supporters of the US-led war against Iraq. It didn’t send combat troops, but has deployed about 3 000 troops to help rebuild the country, the third-largest contingent in the coalition. — Sapa-AP