HOTEL BOMBING ON SUNDAY

At the Al Rasheed, the impacts left at least eight holes, the largest about two feet by three feet across, and shattered windows in at least two dozen rooms on the west side of the hotel.

But what interests me is this story:

The United States on Saturday warned that Islamic extremists are plotting an attack, possibly a suicide car bombing, against a hotel in a specific Baghdad neighborhood that is frequented by westerners.

In a notice to Americans now in Iraq, a State Department consular officer in Baghdad said the US military had become aware of the threat recently but could not pinpoint the targetted hotel.

"The US military has indicated that Islamic extremists intend to carry out a bomb attack against a hotel in the Karada area of Baghdad," said the notice, a copy of which was provided to AFP in Washington by the State Department.

"The hotel is used by westerners," it said, adding that "the specific hotel or timing of the attack is not known."

Was the warning about this attack? Can't say exactly because the Rashid hotel is not in the Karada district. But everything else seems to match well enough.

The point being that we seem to be doing better at getting intelligence on such events.

Let's hope so.