Al-Qaida in Iraq takes credit for hotel bombings

Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility Tuesday for the triple suicide bombings of Baghdad hotels that killed as many as 17 people.

Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility Tuesday for the triple suicide bombings of Baghdad hotels that killed as many as 17 people. The claim, made in an Internet statement posted on a Web site that carries extremist material, said the attack targeted the "dirty harbor of intelligence agents and private American, British and Australian security companies." Monday's bombings targeted central Baghdad's Palestine and Sheraton hotels, which house Western journalists and contractors.