Rockets on donkeys hit major Baghdad sites
By P. MITCHELL PROTHERO
Published 11/21/2003 11:13 AM
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Rockets fired from donkey-drawn carts
struck two major hotels used by foreign journalists and the Iraqi Ministry
of Oil Friday in a barrage that shook downtown Baghdad.
The Palestine and Sheraton Hotels, which are adjacent, were hit by a
series of rockets fired by one unmanned donkey-drawn cart in the central
Saydoon neighborhood of Baghdad at about 7:15 a.m. At about the same time,
another series of rockets - also fired from an unmanned cart - hit the Oil
Ministry, igniting a fire on the fifth floor of the sprawling office
building, which was unoccupied at the time.
The Palestine and Sheraton hotels, which were once run by international
companies but are now known to be owned by local companies, served as
media headquarters during and immediately after the U.S.-led war to depose
Saddam Hussein. Both continue to house substantial numbers of media
organizations, including the BBC, CNN and Fox News.
The hotels also house numerous civilian contractors working with the
U.S.-led occupation.
A U.S. Army Spokesman condemned the attack, which came on the last Friday
of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
"Once again the peace of Ramadan was shattered by enemy forces," said Col.
Peter Mansoor, of the 1st Armored Division.
Another military source confirmed that
two other donkey-powered missile
carts were found wandering in the vicinity of the Italian Embassy, in a
nearby neighborhood. Neither of those donkeys had fired its deadly load.
There is one confirmed serious casualty from the Palestine Hotel, where
witnesses said a seriously wounded civilian was removed from the building
by U.S. troops after the attack.
Holes - presumably from rockets - could be seen on the eastern side of the
Palestine's eighth, 13th, 15th and 16th floors. Several holes could be
seen at about the 16th floor of the Sheraton. Huge shards of broken glass
fell into its open lobby area, which was mostly empty at the time.
Mansoor said eight rockets were fired at the Oil Ministry building and two
detonated.
"The enemy used homemade rocket launchers on carts attached to donkeys,"
Mansoor told reporters. "The rockets were set to a timer and hidden under
produce. We have some leads in both cases in our efforts to find who was
behind these attacks."
About 250 meters away from the hotel, an agitated donkey tethered to a
toppled cart could be seen in the custody of U.S. troops. According to the
U.S. military and local witnesses, the donkey - acting without an
accomplice - dragged the lettuce cart down the main street outside the
hotel while a timer operated the rockets.
Apparently upon the beginning of the barrage, the donkey broke discipline
and panicked, toppling the cart. At that point, the rockets disconnected
from the timer, leaving them strewn around the street. Tethered to the now
toppled cart, the donkey was unable to escape before the arrival of U.S.
troops.
"The donkey is doing just fine," Mansoor told United Press International.
Suggestions that the donkey be released to see whether he would walk home
- possibly leading to the mastermind behind the attacks - went unheeded by
U.S. military at the scene.Because of their high profile in the media, the Palestine-Sheraton complex
has been considered a likely target of terrorist and resistance attacks.
Intelligence reports given to security personnel working for international
news networks have indicated that several groups have planned attacks on
the facility, which remains one of the most heavily guarded sites in Iraq.
Located on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, the two buildings are
among the tallest in Baghdad and are surrounded by 14-foot concrete walls
and concertina wire added by private security firms. Although the
facilities are well protected from the possibility of car or truck bombs
because of the barricades, security consultants for one major television
network, which refuses to be based at those hotels for security reasons,
said a rocket attack had been predicted.
"It was a matter of time," said one British security expert. "Particularly
if (terrorists) are willing to conduct donkey-dom operations."
Mom Finds Out About BlogMINNEAPOLIS, MN—In a turn of events the 30-year-old characterized as "horrifying," Kevin Widmar announced Tuesday that his mother Lillian has discovered his weblog.
"Apparently, Mom typed [Widmar's employer] Dean Healthcare into Google along with my name and, lo and behold, PlanetKevin popped up," Widmar said. "I'm so fucked."
In an e-mail sent to Widmar Monday, Lillian reported in large purple letters that she was "VERY EXCITED :)!!!" to find his "computer diary," but was perplexed that he hadn't mentioned it to her.
Upon receipt of the e-mail, Widmar mentally raced through the contents of his blog. He immediately thought of several dozen posts in which he mentioned drinking, drug use, casual sex, and other behavior likely to alarm his mother.
"I don't have one of those sites that's a big tell-all about one-night stands and wild parties," Widmar said. "I mostly write about the animation I like or little things that happen to me and my friends. But there are definitely things in there that I wouldn't, well, write home to Mom about."
Fortunately for Widmar, Lillian's comments about the site indicate that she has not delved deeply into its contents.
"Mom's main comment was that I look tired in the photos from my birthday party, so I'm guessing that she didn't get past the first page yet," Widmar said. "She will, though. She will."
Widmar said he expects his site to provide Lillian with ample cause for worry.
"Even on that benign front page, she found something to freak out about," Widmar said. "She read the entry for Monday, where I mentioned how much I hate my job, and e-mailed to say that she hoped I wasn't thinking of quitting in this economy."
"Mom had a fit when she found out that I put my television on my credit card," Widmar added. "If she reads about how I was with my friend Jayson when he got pulled over for drunk driving, I'll never hear the end of it."
"Oh God," Widmar said with a gasp. "Three days ago, I wrote something about buying pot!"
Widmar said that the idea of his mother immersing herself in the boring details of his life is just as frightening as the idea of her discovering his misconduct.
"Really, the blog is just a record of what I think about the world and how I spend my free time," Widmar said. "In other words, exactly the sort of information that no 30-year-old wants his mom to have access to."
Widmar said he imagines his inbox filling up with e-mails containing elaborate questions about an off-hand comment on Kill Bill—or, should he appear to have too much free time, requests for him to come and visit her.
"I know enough not to tell Mom that I'm seeing a girl until it's serious," Widmar said. "Now, she's going to know exactly who I hang out with, where I go, and what I spend my time doing on a daily basis. I am so in hell right now."
"God, my links alone contain unlimited fodder for Mom's neuroses," Widmar said. "She'll have access to not only my life, but the lives of all my friends who have web sites. She'll have the names of all the places in Minneapolis where we hang out, which she can—and will—look up.
With the raw materials in my blog, she could actually construct an accurate picture of who I am. This is fucking serious."
"To think that I was happy that Mom was e-mailing instead of calling ever since [Widmar's sister] Karen got her online last year," he added. "I didn't see the danger."
According to Widmar, there's "no fucking chance" that Lillian will simply give the site a cursory look and never return.
"Mom loves hearing every boring detail of her kids' lives," he said. "She'd want to know what I'm eating for dinner every night, if she could. This blog is like porn for her."
"Come to think of it, why do I sometimes write about what I ate for dinner?" Widmar asked.
Seeing his blog through his mother's eyes, Widmar said he knows there's no way the site can remain unchanged.
"I know Mom will instantly become the site's most avid reader and most vocal fan," Widmar said. "As I write it, I'll think, 'How would Mom feel about this?' Even worse, I'm sure she'll give the address to all our relatives."
All of the tactics Widmar has considered to divert his mother seem unworkable.
"I could take it down for a few weeks, but I know she wouldn't just forget about it," Widmar said. "I could edit the site and send my other readers through a back door, to another blog just for them. But, I mean, that's just ridiculous."
If Widmar starts a blog at a new address, without his full name this time, he said he risks losing "close to 100" regular readers.
As of press time, Widmar had not decided whether to shut PlanetKevin down.
"The clock is ticking," Widmar said. "I've gotta act fast. At this very minute, she might be reading about the time I did Ecstasy last summer. If Mom finds that entry, I can pretty much count on our conversations for the next year being centered on the dangers of drug use."