Rockets Hit Baghdad's al-Rasheed Hotel

Greg LaMotte
Baghdad
26 Oct 2003, 12:29 UTC

Rockets struck the Al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad early Sunday causing an unknown number of
casualties. Deputy U.S. Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, who has been visiting the Iraqi capital,
described the attack as a desperate act.

The attack occurred about six o'clock Sunday morning, when six to eight
rockets struck the west side of the Al-Rasheed hotel, which faces a large
park. Dozens of the hotels windows were shattered.

The U.S. military says there were an unspecified number of

AP injuries and at least three people were seen being carried away
Facade of al-Rasheed
Hotel shows rocket on stretchers. The hotel houses many American military and
damage civilian employees.

Shortly after the incident U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz described the
rocket attack as a desperate act of a dying regime of criminals. AP
US soldier patrols
"The criminals who are trying to destabilize this country, abused and tortured Iraq for area around al-
Rasheed Hotel
35 years, and we have ended that mass oppression," said Mr. Wolfowitz. "There are a
few who refuse to accept the reality of a new and free Iraq. We will be unrelenting in our pursuit of
them. As the President has said, we are taking this fight to the enemy."

Mr. Wolfowitz, who was not injured in the rocket attack, said the United States would not abandon
its effort to bring stability to Iraq. He said the terrorists would not deter the American mission in
Iraq, which he said is to help the Iraqi people free themselves from the type of criminals who
carried out the attack against the Al-Rasheed hotel.

The hotel is located in an area tightly controlled by the U.S. military and is near the headquarters of
the Coalition Provisional Authority.

The Al-Rasheed came under a similar attack with three small rockets on September 27. That attack
resulted only in minor damage.

The luxury hotel was opened in 1982 for a summit of nonaligned nations and was considered
Baghdad's main guesthouse for visiting dignitaries.

The Al-Rasheed was owned by the Iraqi government and was taken over by American forces in
April when they moved into the capital.