Iraq

Mortar fire hits house, killing child, injuring 3

Two mortar shells targeting a hotel housing foreigners in Baghdad hit a house instead Friday night, killing a child and wounding three others. A third mortar hit a nearby road, causing no damage.

Crowds, including panicked parents searching for children, gathered at the scene, where police fired Kalashnikovs into the air to push people back.

The twin blasts, which shook much of the center of Baghdad, were aimed at the al-Sadeer Hotel, police said. The house that was hit was empty, witnesses said, and the casualties had been in the street at the time of the attack.

One child, aged 5 or 6, was killed, police said.