Mortar shells against the American leadership headquarters, Sheraton
The Iraqi resistance forces early morning today launched 6 attacks by mortar shells that targeted the leadership of the American occupation forces, and several positions in the downtown of Baghdad, including the Sheraton hotel.
A statement by the American army confirmed that these attacks were launched, while witnesses said that more than 10 explosions took place in the downtown of Baghdad, and lasted for some time.
An American military spokeswoman admitted that four shelling fell at 6.30. a.m. (Iraq local time) at the general headquarters of the American forces, but these attacks did not result in damages among the occupation forces.
The American army and workers at Sheraton hotel said that one shell hit the hotel. One journalist said it saw the traces of the shell in the 8th floor of the hotel, while witnesses said that the resistance missiles fell near two hotels inhabited by westerners.
The American army also announced the killing of one American soldier yesterday evening, in a bomb explosion placed on one side of the road in Baghdad.
The Iraqi resistance fired late evening yesterday a missile that hit the Sheraton Hotel, which is strongly guarded and inhabited by westerners. Just 90 minutes later, the American jets bombarded the shelters of suspected persons for the second consecutive night.
Meantime, one Iraqi policeman was killed, and two others wounded, during the American forces breaking in in a house in Musil. The occupation forces confirmed the killing of another Iraqi, during another breaking in operation in this city. In this operation, the occupation forces detained two senior Sheikhs of the main tribes in the city. They are Saddam al-Nueimi, one of the sheikhs of al-Naem tribe, and Nawaf Jalloud Agha, the general Sheikh of al-Jarjareyah tribe. He is a relative to Ghazi Hanash, Sheikh of Ali tribe.
The occupation forces had detained Sheikh Hanash, together with his three sons, over suspicion of having links to Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the second highest ranking man in the former Iraqi regime, who had not yet been captured by the Americans.