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| Iraq | |
| Palestine Hotel in Baghdad Hit by Car Bombs | |
| 2005-10-24 | |
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Two enormous bombs, including a cement-mixing truck packed with explosives, blew up outside the Palestine Hotel - home to many foreign journalists - wounding at least six people and causing considerable damage. Arab satellite television networks said 11 people were killed in the vicinity of the bombs. Associated Press Television News pictures showed the cement mixer exploding in a huge ball of flame and a cloud of smoke billowing into the central Baghdad sky.
Inside the hotel, light fixtures were blown out, pictures were blasted off the walls and windows were shattered. An AP photographer at a checkpoint at the northwest corner of the hotel said at least three fellow photographers were injured and taken away by ambulance. Two TV personnel inside the hotel also sustained minor injuries. The death toll of 11 was reported by the Qatari-based Al-Jazeera and the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya networks, quoting Iraqi security officials. The attacks caused heavy damage to the south side of the 19-story hotel, forcing journalists, including those from AP, Fox News and the U.S. government-funded Alhurra TV station to take refuge in the corridor. Fox and Alhurra said their staff members were safe. After the bombing, Iraqi forces opened up with heavy automatic weapons fire, apparently firing at random. There was no sign of a further assault on the hotel. It did not appear that the car bombers managed to penetrate the high concrete blast walls around the Palestine Hotel, which was last hit by an insurgent rocket attack on Oct. 7, 2004. Maj. Abbas Mohammed Suleiman said earlier that the hotel compound was hit by rockets and car bombs. APTN video taken immediately after the explosions from inside the hotel showed people evacuating through damaged hallways with panels from the ceilings and walls blown out in the stairwell. Debris from the blasts was seen on the floor of one empty room, where a television set was still turned on. The hotel has been attacked several times since the war started in March 2003. On April 8, 2003 - the day before Saddam Hussein's regime fell - U.S. tank fire killed two TV cameramen - a Spaniard and a Ukrainian - at the hotel. The nearby Firdous Square was the site of a statue of Saddam Hussein that was toppled as Baghdad fell to the U.S.-led coalition. Concrete barriers topped with barbed wire guard the Palestine and the nearby Sheraton, which is also home to foreigners. | |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #18 ed, it was reported everywhere, with dramatic film footage of the explosions and Our Brave Correspondent Showing Where He Was When The Attack Occurred. Mission accomplished, all concerned are satisfied (except for the ones who have to clean up the mess, of course). |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-10-24 21:33 |
| #17 Palestine Hotel boomed? Whoda thunk that!? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-10-24 20:50 |
| #16 This is terrible. I feel a great deal of sympathy. For the Iraqis. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-10-24 20:25 |
| #15 Looked like the first car bomb breeched the outer concrete barrier. A second car bomb blew up on the other side of the compund. At that time, the cement truck drove through the breech caused by the first bomb. Then the truck encountered an inner concrete barrier where it then blew up. So the truck bomber never made it to the hotel. So was it poor recon not taking the inner barrier into account, or a poor plan to breech the internal barrier? |
| Posted by: ed 2005-10-24 19:29 |
| #14 I love the smell of Ramadan. Makes me feel like a little kid again. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-10-24 18:13 |
| #13 On a historical note, the world's most bombed building is/was the Europa Hotel in Belfast. It was bombed a total of 40 something times. The Europa Hotel was where the journalists used to stay. Their need for copy and film at 11 creates an unholy alliance of comvemience with the terrorist's need for publicity. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2005-10-24 14:13 |
| #12 CNN had two of them on their video. One looked like a car bomb on the other side of the square and the cement truck rammed a chain link gate (real secure) and went off inside one of the walls. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-10-24 14:04 |
| #11 Grunter: Reports said first bomb tried to breach the outer blast wall, then more went off (two?) closer to the hotel. I would think that is why they have the later explosion on camera. |
| Posted by: NYer4wot 2005-10-24 13:51 |
| #10 including a cement-mixing truck packed with explosives I saw this on "Mythbusters" a couple of weeks ago - you can get a serious boom out of a cement truck. |
| Posted by: Thinese Shase1818 2005-10-24 13:48 |
| #9 It's only "fair" that this happened after all. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet O´ Doom 2005-10-24 13:41 |
| #8 ROFL, *snort* tu! |
| Posted by: .com 2005-10-24 13:24 |
| #7 Nothing inspires good quagmire talk better then some "war correspondent" getting blown off his or her bar stool. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-10-24 13:22 |
| #6 If Mohammad will not go to the mountain [leave the bar at the Palestine], I guess the mountain must go to Mohammad [for their propaganda war feed]. Bad timing though as Wilma is upstaging their fireworks show. |
| Posted by: Slomble Ulolung9962 2005-10-24 12:56 |
| #5 Gee AP news actually had a camera filming the explosion. What are the odds against that? |
| Posted by: Grunter 2005-10-24 12:52 |
| #4 This was clearly a CIA op. Who else would want to harm innocent journos bringing the truth of American oppression to the public. |
| Posted by: Gloluting Thrairt4328 2005-10-24 12:38 |
| #3 What does the Spanish judge have to say? Will he be issuing arrest warrants soon? Wow. Imagine that, journos in trouble and no Americans involved. What's the Tranzi world coming to? |
| Posted by: .com 2005-10-24 12:35 |
| #2 Oh gee, darn I feel bad about |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-10-24 12:32 |
| #1 Breaking Jurnos get to |
| Posted by: Red Dog 2005-10-24 12:23 |