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Baghdad hotel bombed as 45 killed in Iraq
A suicide bomber blew himself up in the crowded lobby of Baghdads Al Mansour Melia hotel during an informal gathering of local tribal shaikhs, both Sunni and Shia. (The attack) targeted the tribes that are fighting terrorism, said Shaikh Mahmud Daham from the restive Sunni province of Anbar west of Baghdad, who was in the hotel at the time. An AFP correspondent said charred bodies of the victims and many of the wounded were lying near the reception desk in the rubble-strewn lobby, and that the ceiling had collapsed, leaving clusters of white tiles hanging from wires. The blast damaged the stairway, the elevators, and the ceiling of the first floor of the hotel, which lies on the west bank of the Tigris river and houses diplomats and some foreign media organisations. Patches of blood stained the marble floor and scraps of human flesh were left stuck to the concrete pillars. At least 12 people were killed including Shia and Sunni tribal shaikhs, and 21 wounded, staff and security officials said. One of those killed was Fassal Al Gawud, an ex-governor of Anbar, where several tribal shaikhs have recently allied with US and Iraqi forces against Al Qaeda, according to security officials. Hussein Shaalan, a Shia tribal chief from the central city of Diwaniyah was also killed along with his son and a bodyguard. A security source had identified Hussein Shaalan as a Shia MP bearing the same name, but this was later denied by MP Aliah Nassef from the Iraqi National List of former premier Iyad Allawi. Other victims included Rahim Al Maliki, a poet employed by Iraqs state-run Iraqiyah television, and two Sunni tribal shaikhs. Posted by: Steve White 2007-06-26 |
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