Baghdad hotels come under attack

Explosions and gunfire erupted outside hotels housing foreigners and journalists in the centre of Baghdad tonight, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Security guards at the Palestine hotel said two rockets hit the outside of the nearby Sheraton hotel.

There was no indication of a fire inside the Sheraton, although a palm tree burned outside.

The fire was believed caused by one of several projectiles that landed in the compound surrounded by a concrete wall. Tracers streaked across the night sky.

A bride and groom rushed out of the smoke-filled Sheraton minutes after arriving for their wedding night.

“I made a mistake by booking at the Sheraton. I knew something like this would happen. But I just did a foolish thing,” said Hayder Abdul Zahra, holding his shivering bride in his arms.

Bursts of automatic gunfire were heard in the street between the two hotels.

The gunfire lasted for about 10 minutes after the explosions.

An American soldier said windows in the Sheraton were shattered and the main lobby was filled with smoke and debris. Several shaken Westerners also emerged from the hotel, the soldier said.

Iraqi police responded to nearby Firdous Square.

There were police cars with flashing blue lights outside the hotel.