Rocket Hits Baghdad's Sheraton Hotel, No Injuries

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suspected guerrilla rocket struck a
central Baghdad hotel used by foreign contractors and
journalists early Wednesday, but caused limited damage and no
injuries.

"There's evidence of some sort of rocket hitting the hotel
at about the sixth floor," said one guest at the Ishtar
Sheraton hotel.

The powerful blast, about a third of the way up the hotel,
shattered some windows and smashed concrete.

The blast shook people from their beds inside the hotel and
in nearby neighborhoods.

Iraqi police and the U.S. military set up a cordon outside
the building.

The Sheraton and the adjacent Palestine hotel, both
situated in a well-defended complex used by foreigners in the
heart of the city, have been attacked several times in the
past.

U.S.-led occupying forces blame Saddam Hussein supporters
and foreign Islamic militants for guerrilla attacks in the
country since the former Iraqi president was toppled last
April.

Tuesday, guerrillas shot dead 11 Iraqi police and police
trainees in two separate daylight attacks, the latest deadly
strikes against Iraqis working with the U.S.-led occupation.