POSTED: 12:24 p.m. EST November 21, 2003 UPDATED: 12:29 p.m. EST November 21, 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The U.S. military dismissed rocket attacks launched from donkey carts Friday against the Oil Ministry and two hotels as "militarily insignificant" but acknowledged they show weaknesses in the ability to gather intelligence on insurgents.
More than a dozen rockets, fired from launchers perched atop donkey carts, slammed into two hotels and the Iraqi Oil Ministry, injuring one person. Security forces around the targeted sites had been on alert for anything unusual, but until now, donkey carts weren't considered unusual.
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the military deputy director for operations, said the use of donkey carts -- and in one case a missile disguised as a generator -- show the sophistication and adaptability of enemy forces. He said more local police are needed to help reduce insurgent attacks.
Rockets struck at the height of the U.S. counteroffensive against guerrilla fighters in Iraq, a crackdown called Operation Iron Hammer. A commander in Baghdad said the operation has reduced guerrilla activity by 70 percent.
Police and soldiers have found at least two more rocket launchers perched on donkey carts -- one just 30 yards away from the Italian Embassy, the other near the Academy of Fine Arts. . . .
Targets Were Among Most Heavily Secured
The oil ministry and the hotels were among the most heavily guarded sites in Baghdad.
A bleeding man was carried away from the Palestine Hotel on a stretcher. No one was hurt when rockets struck the nearby Sheraton Hotel and at the Iraqi Oil Ministry, which was closed for the Muslim day of prayer. . . .
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