American killed in Afghanistan hotel bombing, one wounded in Beirut bombing - Bush in a great mood

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http://news.monstersandcritics.com/southasia/news/article_1386857.php/Militants_in_police_uniform_target_Afghan_luxury_hotel__Roundup_

Militants in police uniform target Afghan luxury hotel (Roundup)

Kabul - Militants in police uniform killed at least five foreigners and two Afghan guards in a brazen suicide bomb and gun attack at the Kabul luxury hotel, Afghan authorities and a victim said on Tuesday.

At least three militants carried out a multi-pronged attack in the city's most fortified area, which is some 300 metres from the presidential palace and is located in the heart of the city.

Taliban militants immediately took responsibility for the attack, which sparked widespread concern that the elements from the former ultra-Islamic regime of Taliban have become able to target the most secured area in the capital despite presence of thousands of Afghan and international forces.

There were conflicting reports on the nationalities of the seven killed on Monday evening's attack at the Serena, the only five-star hotel in Kabul.

Amerullah Saleh, head of National Directorate of Security, the Afghan intelligence agency, told a press conference on Tuesday that three American nationals were among the dead people, but sources from US embassy in Kabul said that only one US citizens were killed.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/01/15/lebanon.blast/index.html

Four dead as blast hits U.S. Embassy car

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- An explosion ripped through a U.S. Embassy vehicle Tuesday as it traveled along a coastal highway north of Beirut, killing four Lebanese civilian bystanders, according to American and Lebanese officials.

The driver sustained minor injuries and the sole passenger -- a foreign service national -- walked away with no injuries, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

The vehicle was apparently the intended target of the blast, and identified the driver and passenger as Lebanese security personnel for the U.S. Embassy.

But McCormack cautioned against jumping to any conclusions on the intended target.

"We will see over the next few days where the facts lead us," he said during the State Department's daily briefing.

Citing security concerns, McCormack would also not address unconfirmed reports that the vehicle was part of a convoy for departing U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman.

Four Lebanese civilians were killed in the blast, which happened around 4:45 p.m. (9:45 a.m. ET), according to McCormack and Lebanese Cabinet minister Marwan Hamadeh.

An American, an Iraqi and three Lebanese were among those wounded in the blast, said a Western diplomatic source.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/01/15/bush-says-hes-feeling-feisty/

<snip>

Question: You are? Are you in a good mood?
Bush: Yes, a great mood.