Iraq's first freely elected Parliament in half a century began its historic opening session yesterday after a series of explosions targeted the gathering. The Parliament's 275 members, elected during Jan. 30 balloting, convened in an auditorium amid tight security in the heavily guarded Green Zone with US helicopter gunships hovering overhead. Minutes before the assembly convened, at least half a dozen explosions detonated a few hundred meters away. The US military said two mortar rounds landed inside the zone but caused no injuries. After yesterday's session ended, another mortar shell hit an empty building in central Baghdad's Karradah neighborhood, setting the two-story structure on fire, police and witnesses said. There were no reports of injuries. The lawmakers opened with a reading of verses from the Qur'an. Iraqi Chief Justice Medhat Al-Mahmoud then administered the oath to the assembled deputies. "It is a great day in Iraqi history that its elected representatives meet," said Fuad Masoum, a Kurdish delegate. "This day coincides with a painful memory that has many meanings. ... Today, on this occasion, we celebrate the inauguration of Parliament after the fall of this regime."