Seven killed in Baghdad hotel suicide attack

Baghdad, June 25: Seven people were killed when a suicide bomber wearing an explosives-packed vest detonated inside a central Baghdad hotel used by foreigners and Iraqi officials, witnesses and police said today.

Police said the bomber had walked into the busy lobby of the Mansour Hotel, where Sunni Arab tribal leaders from western Anbar province had gathered for a meeting.

CNN said the lobby was completely destroyed. One witness said he had seen seven bodies. Witnesses and police put the number of wounded at between five and eight.

Large groups of Sunni tribal leaders in Anbar have joined forces to form US-backed provincial police units to fight against Sunni Islamist al Qaeda, prompting a bloody power struggle in the vast desert region.

US and Iraqi authorities blame al Qaeda for most of the suicide bombings in Iraq.

The hotel is near Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone and is often used by provincial Iraqi officials visiting the capital. A number of foreigners also live in the hotel, one of the most secure in Baghdad.

REUTERS

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