Hotel bomb kills guard

A bomb placed a yard from the outer wall of the al-Aike Hotel in south-central Baghdad, where the US NBC television network had offices, exploded today, killing a guard.

Iraqi police said the bomb was placed in a hut that housed the hotel generator.

Lt Col Salman Kareem said the bomb killed a Somali guard in his sleep. Damage to the hotel was minimal, he said, and was mainly broken glass.

NBC correspondent Jim Avila said there were no signs on the building indicating NBC had quarters there.

A dozen NBC staffers were inside the building when the explosion occurred, and a Canadian sound man, David Moodie, was slightly injured by flying glass.

"I was awake,'' Moodie said. "A chest of drawers in the room fell on me. I sleep in the room immediately above the generator, so I guess I was lucky."

Moodie said he suffered one deep cut from flying glass that would require stitches. He said no other NBC employees were hurt.

The television network has four security guards, two from a British firm and two Iraqis hired for night duty.