4 NATION/WORLD NEDIES INM BRIEF CAIRO, Egypt Militant group calls for truce with Spain The Islamic militant group that claimed responsibility for last week's Madrid train bombings has called a truce with Spain to give the new government time to withdraw troops from Iraq, a London-based Arabic-language newspaper said yesterday. The Al Hayat daily newspaper said it received a statement from the Brigade of Abu Hafs al-Masri, which earlier said it orchestrated the bombings to punish Spain for supporting the U.S.-led war in Iraq. The blasts killed 201 people. But the United States believes the group, which takes its name in memory of al-Qaida's fallen No. 3, lacks credibility and its ties to al-Qaida are tenuous. In the past, the group has made claims about various events to which it was not connect- ed - such as blackouts last year in the United States, Canada and London. Elsewhere, in Spain the country's new leader intensified his criticism of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq yesterday, saying it was "turning into a fiasco." Prime Minister-elect Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero also refused to reconsider his pledge to pull his 1,300 troops out of Iraq by June 30, in a sharp break with the Bush administration. AP PHTOMI Smoke rises from a five-story hotel in central Baghdad which was destroyed by a huge car bomb.last night, killing at least 10 people, Iraqi police and U.S. soldiers said. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Rn h A rnr ve TraI ; Israeli missiles kill four more in Gaza attacks AJJLIILi %L.'O1 JJ 0 11 £Il hotel; 27 left dead BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A huge car bomb tore apart a five-story hotel cater- ing to foreigners in the heart of Baghdad last night, killing 27 people and showing the continued vulnerability of civilians to terror attacks just days before the anniversary of the start of the Iraq war. Flames and heavy smoke burst sky- ward from the Mount Lebanon Hotel, torching nearby homes, offices and shops. Rescuers pulled bodies from the rubble and searched for other victims of the attack, which wounded 41 people. There was no official word on who carried out the attack but a U.S. coun- terterrorism official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Jordanian Islamic militant Abu Musab al-Zar- qawi is among those suspected of play- ing a key role. Dazed and wounded people stum- bled from the wreckage, marked by a jagged, 20-foot-wide crater. A father cradled his young daughter, who was limp in his arms. Coated in dust, some rescuers dug through the debris with bare hands as uniformed firefighters fought the blaze and ambulance work- ers stood by with orange stretchers. "It was a huge boom followed by complete darkness and then the red glow of a fire," said 16-year-old Walid Mohammed Abdel-Maguid, who lives near the hotel. A U.S. soldier a mile away said the blast - which took place about 8 p.m. - felt as though it were next door. Army Col. Ralph Baker of the 1st Armored Division estimated that the bomb contained 1,000 pounds of explosives. He said the bomb was a mix of plastic explosives and artillery shells. That was the same mixture of explosives used in the Aug. 19,2003 suicide attack on the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad, which killed 22 people. Americans, Britons, Egyptians as well as other foreigners were staying at the Mount Lebanon Hotel, said Bagh- dad resident Faleh Kalhan. But some residents in the area said they believed guests left the hotel a week ago after its management received threats. If true, many casualties were likely in adjacent buildings. The British Broad- casting Corp. reported that two Britons were among the wounded. The blast ignited at least eight cars, one of which was hurled into a store. Some vehicles were little more than mangled piles of metal. The explosion blew bricks, air conditioners, furniture, wires and other debris hundreds of yards from the hotel. The Mount Lebanon was a so-called soft target because it did not have con- crete blast barriers and other security measures that protect offices of the U.S.-led coalition and buildings where Westerners live and work. The Bush administration offered prayers for the victims but said such attacks would not change U.S. policy. "Democracy is taking root in Iraq and there is no turning back," said Scott McClellan, White House spokesman. "This is a time of testing, but the terrorists will not prevail." The attack came three days before the first anniversary of the start of the U.S.-led war to topple Saddam Hus- sein. It took place behind Firdaus Square, where Iraqis toppled a bronze statue of Saddam on April 9 with the help of U.S. Marines who had just entered the center of the capital. Israeli helicopters fired two missiles into a crowd of suspected gunmen in a Palestinian refugee camp yesterday, killing four people in a stepped-up campaign to root out militants in the Gaza Strip. Two unarmed teenage boys and one militant were among the dead, Palestinian officials said. Islamic militants traded fire with Palestinian security forces in downtown Gaza City during morning rush hour after a car carrying armed men refused to stop for a police inspection, witnesses said. One civilian was killed and 17 people were hurt, Palestinian officials said. Israel launched the offensive into Gaza late Tuesday in response to a double sui- cide bombing at the Israeli seaport of Ashdod that killed 10 Israelis. Security offi- cials have also said they want to strike hard at militants ahead of a possible Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. "The extremists should know that they cannot be immune when they send terrorist groups to kill Israelis time and time again," said Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. WASHINGTON Pentagon to withhold Halliburton funding The Pentagon plans to withhold about $300 million in payments to Halliburton Co. because of possible overcharging for meals served to troops in Iraq and Kuwait, defense officials said yesterday. Starting next month, the Defense Department will begin withholding 15 percent of the money paid to Vice President Dick Cheney's former com- pany on a multibillion-dollar contract to provide services such as food, housing, laundry and mail to Ameri- can forces in Iraq. Halliburton spokeswoman Wendy Hall said the company disagreed with the decision and hoped to persuade the Pentagon to drop its plans. If the Defense Department does withhold the money, Halliburton will in turn withhold 15 percent -of its pay- ments to its subcontractors, Hall said. The withholding won't affect Hal- liburton's bottom line, Hall said. WASHINGTON Budget cuts may lead to fewer park services National park superintendents are being told to cut back on services - possibly even closing smaller, historic sites a couple days a week - without letting on they are making cuts. Former employees of the National Park Service, critical of how cuts are being handled, released yesterday a memo e-mailed last month to park superintendents in the Northeast from the Park Service's Boston office. Among the memo's suggestions for responding to tight budgets are to pos- sibly shutter visitor centers on federal holidays or during the winter, close parks Sundays and Mondays, and elimi- nate all guided ranger tours and life- guards at some beaches. KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Serbia- Montenegro Kosovo attacks mark renewal of violence Rioting swept parts of Kosovo yester- day after ethnic Albanians blamed Serbs for the drowning of two boys. The vio- lence left eight dead and hundreds injured in one of the bloodiest days since the end of the Kosovo war in 1999. Melees broke out in every major city in the province as well as several enclaves where Serbs have eked out a sheltered existence since the war ended. Serb homes, churches and cars were set on fire as ethnic Albanians rampaged in revenge. Most of the casualties occurred where the violence erupted - the ethnically divided city of Kosovska Mitrovica as the two sides threw rocks and charged at each other, then opened fire with guns. - Compiled from Daily wire reports I .m 1. T eic an I D CRUITM ..._../ ' +.._ " ": WWW.MICHIGANDAILY.COM The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily's office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $105. 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