A loud explosive device was heard inside the huge U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad on Sunday night during a visit to Iraq by Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden. The Bidens were “safe and unharmed,” an aide said.

The visit was designed partly to highlight progress in the war zone.

A U.S. official said: “There was a small explosion in the International Zone [formerly the Green Zone]. The incident is being investigated. There were no injuries or property damage.”

At least five mortar rounds fell in the Green Zone late Sunday, Iraqi police officials told The Associated Press.

Inside the embassy, two “duck and cover” alarms sounded within an hour, and loudspeakers warned occupants of “a threat of indirect fire,” a reference to a potential mortar round. An “all clear” was sounded both times.

A siren wailed and the loudspeaker said: “Duck and cover. Get away from the window. Take cover and await further instructions.” A follow-up announcement said: “I say again: Please remain under cover. There is still a threat of indirect fire.”

Biden is on a Fourth of July mission to assess conditions ahead of the scheduled Aug. 30 end of the U.S. “combat mission” in Iraq. In meetings Sunday, the vice president urged Iraqi leaders to break the four-month stalemate after the nation’s second parliamentary elections.

The 100-acre embassy cost $700 million, and is the largest U.S. embassy in the world. It opened in January 2009.

Less than three hours before the blast, Biden told a reception of top Iraqi officials who gathered at the U.S. embassy: “The American people stand with you, stand united with you, at a time when a new Iraq has been born. Over the past several years, you’ve made extraordinary progress …

“So my plea to you is, finish what you started — a truly legitimate and representative government that meets the needs and aspirations of all Iraqi people. To the extent you continue that quest, we will stand with you — not telling you what to do, but stand with you in doing what you need help doing if you ask us.”

Mortar fire also accompanied an unannounced trip to Baghdad by Biden in September.

(Source: Politico)