US consulate hotel hit by mortar shell in Iraq

A mortar shell hit an hotel where the US consulate is based in Hillah, Iraq, but no casualties were immediately reported, police said.

The shell was one of five fired at the Babil Hotel complex at about 2.30am local time, with four of them exploding nearby and one hitting the three-storey building and causing some damage, said Capt. Muthana Khalid, spokesman for Hillah police.