BAGHDAD, 5 November 2003 — Iraqi insurgents targeted the US-led administration headquarters here for the second consecutive night yesterday, wounding four coalition soldiers as Spain, a close US ally, withdrew much of its diplomats in the face of escalating violence. The Pentagon said three of the wounded were from the US-occupation forces.

An Iraqi guard at the scene said three explosions hit the compound, one of Saddam Hussein’s former palace complexes.

Earlier, US troops in Humvees with powerful spotlights sped to an area along the nearby Tigris, where several shots of gunfire were heard. “There were a lot of soldiers running around, there was a lot of panic. I haven’t seen any injured people,” said Mohammad Shikri, the Iraqi guard at the complex. Journalists were prevented from entering the area.

The attack was the second against American facilities in the heart of Baghdad in as many days and underscored the precarious security situation in the city. Late Monday, three mortars exploded in the center of Baghdad, and US officials said one struck a camp of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment but caused no damage or casualties.

Earlier, the US Army said a soldier was killed and two were wounded when their vehicle ran over a bomb planted on a road. In the northern city of Mosul, five rocket-propelled grenades were fired at a hotel used as a US military compound but no one was hurt. Also in Mosul, gunmen killed a second Iraqi judge in two days, police said. The first was in Najaf in the south of the country.

Spain, said it was recalling some civilian staff from Iraq for consultations. Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar said those being recalled included some embassy staff as well as Spaniards working with the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority running the country.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan put two security officials on leave after an independent panel issued a scathing report on safety precautions before the deadly August bombing of UN offices here.

The two were Tun Myat, the global UN security coordinator, and Ramiro Lopes da Silva, once responsible for personnel and security in Iraq.