A Pentagon official said today that Iraqi snipers were believed to be operating in the vicinity of the Palestine Hotel where at least three journalists were injured after a blast struck an upper floor of the high-rise building.
The official said he could not say if US troops were responsible for the blast. But he said that Iraqi forces who operated from civilian areas like hotels would be legitimate targets.
"We have reports of Iraqi snipers in the vicinity of the Palestine Hotel, operating from the Palestine Hotel, proving that this desperate and dying regime will stop at nothing to cling to power," said the spokesman.
While declining to speculate on the source of the blast, he said: "The hotel wouldn't be a target. We only target military forces and if they place themselves in civilian areas, they become a legitimate military target."
The spokesman said the Pentagon had warned journalists of the dangers of remaining in Baghdad during a war but "we would never intentionally target news media representatives."