Rockets hit Baghdad Green Zone on Panetta visit

Three rockets slammed into Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone on Monday, wounding a woman and her three children, security officials said, as US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta began the second day of a visit.

There was no report or indication the missiles had landed anywhere close to the US embassy inside the zone. "Three rockets landed in the Green Zone at 7:30 am (04:30 GMT), and wounded a woman and her three children," the official said.

Panetta, who took office at the start of July, flew in on Sunday to urge Iraqi leaders to decide soon on whether they want US troops beyond the scheduled pullout at the end of 2011, a senior US defence official said.

About 46,000 US troops remain in Iraq, down from a high of 170,000 after the 2003 US-led invasion. They are scheduled to leave in less than six months unless a deal is reached between Baghdad and Washington.

His visit coincided with a US soldier's killing in southern Iraq on Sunday.