IRAQ U.S. airstrikes hit building; 13 reported dead

The strikes in Falljuah were aimed at al-Zarqawi's network.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- American warplanes struck a building in rebel-held Fallujah where the U.S. command said leaders of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's terror network were meeting early today. A doctor said the attack killed 13 people, including a groom on his wedding night, and wounded 17 others.
Late Thursday, rockets struck a Baghdad hotel crowded with foreign contractors and journalists, seen as a symbol of continued U.S. and Western dominance since the formal hand-over of power to an interim Iraqi government June 28.
The latest attacks came as an aide to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr offered Thursday to disarm his Mahdi Army militia in a move that could bring an end to weeks of fighting in Baghdad's Shiite district Sadr City. The government cautiously welcomed the offer and suggested other militant groups also lay down their arms.
In Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad, Dr. Ahmed Saeed said his hospital received 13 dead, including the groom, and 17 wounded, including the bride. He said most of the injured were female relatives of the groom who were staying at the house after the wedding celebration.
Casualties next door
Mohammed Jawad, who lives next door, said he had just moved into the central neighborhood to escape repeated shelling on Fallujah's outskirts. His brother and six nephews were killed in the strike, which damaged their house.
"This attack shows that there is no safe place in Fallujah, and the Americans are not differentiating between civilians and armed men," Jawad said in tears, as he was treated for shrapnel wounds to his face and hand.
The U.S. command, however, said "credible intelligence sources" reported terrorist leaders were meeting at the targeted house.
Latest in U.S. strikes
The attack was among a dozen "precision strikes" launched since last month against al-Zarqawi's dreaded Tawhid and Jihad network, which has claimed responsibility for kidnapping and beheading several foreign hostages. The group is also believed behind mortar attacks, suicide bombings and shooting sprees that have killed scores in recent months.
According to the U.S. statement, those strikes have dealt a "significant blow" to al-Zarqawi's movement, killing several key figures including his chief lieutenant Mohammed al-Lubnani and spiritual adviser Abu Anas al-Shami.
American and Iraqi authorities are trying to curb the growing insurgency in Baghdad and elsewhere so national elections can take place by the end of January. Some U.S. military officials have expressed doubt that balloting will be possible in all parts of the country.
Baghdad Sheraton hit
Three rockets slammed into Baghdad's Sheraton hotel, the Interior Ministry said, triggering thunderous explosions, shattering windows and setting off small fires. Dazed guests, including Western journalists, contractors and a bride and groom on their wedding night stumbled to safety through the smoke and debris.
There were no deaths or serious injuries, Iraqi officials said.
Interior Ministry spokesman Col. Adnan Abdul-Rahman said the rockets were fired from the back of a truck parked near Firdous Square, where jubilant crowds hauled down a statue of Saddam Hussein on April 9, 2003, marking the fall of the capital to American forces.