Tuesday, October 25 2005 16:14 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Baghdad: At least 17 people were killed yesterday (October 24, 2005) oday when triple car bomb blasts slammed heavily-protected hotels used by foreigners in the centre of the Iraqi capital.

The attack came amid mounting tension over the delayed outcome to Iraq's constitutional vote.

The blasts hit three points around Firdus Square, where the statue of ousted president Saddam Hussein was toppled when US troops marched into Baghdad in April 2003, and shook the Palestine, Sheraton and Sadir hotels.

A shock wave that followed the flashes was felt across central Baghdad and a white mushroom cloud then slowly billowed up from the buildings, followed by two more, the third a thick column mixed with grey and black.

A senior security source said 17 people were killed and nine wounded. "The victims are either security guards, hotel employees or passers-by," the source said, without saying if any foreigners were among them.

Video images showed a cement truck breaching the security perimeter for the Palestine and Sheraton hotels just as the first explosion occurred on the opposite side of the square. The truck came to a halt and a massive explosion followed.

"If the cement truck driven by a suicide bomber had not been stopped in time by the guards who opened fire, it would have totally devastated the Sheraton," another security source said.

Taking place outside the hotels where security contractors and many of the world's media have their base in Baghdad, the blasts appeared aimed at grabbing global attention.