Sheehan Back in Texas for Anti-War Protest

CRAWFORD, Texas: The fallen soldier’s mother whose August vigil near President Bush’s ranch reinvigorated the anti-war movement returned to Texas to resume her protest on Thursday as the president celebrated Thanksgiving a few miles away.

“I feel happy to be back here with all my friends … but I’m heartbroken that we have to be here again,” Cindy Sheehan said as she arrived at an airport in nearby Waco.

Sheehan was largely unknown when she set up camp outside Bush’s ranch during the president’s August vacation. It became a 26-day vigil that drew supporters from across the country and national attention.

Sheehan, who has continued encouraging anti-war demonstrations, asked protesters to return to Crawford this week during Bush’s family Thanksgiving gathering.

The protesters’ camp is on the same 1-acre private lot that a sympathetic landowner let them use in August.

For the holiday Thursday, more than 100 war protesters ate a traditional Iraqi meal salmon, lentils and rice with almonds saying they wanted to call attention to the civilians killed in the war. More than 2,100 US soldiers have also died since the war began in March 2003.

“It’s significant because the people of Iraq are suffering under our occupation, and for people in America it’s business as usual stuffing themselves on fat turkeys,” said Tammara Rosenleaf, whose husband is an Army soldier to be deployed in a few weeks. “We in good conscience cannot behave that way while our troops are over there.”

Meanwhile in Iraq, Al Qaeda posted an Internet video on Thursday showing three suicide bombers which the group said had carried out attacks last month that killed at least 15 people at a fortified hotel compound in Baghdad.

The video showed three men, whose names appeared to be Iraqi, entering vehicles with which they apparently attacked the Palestine and Sheraton hotels.

“To the Muslim nation which many people have betrayed … I tell you that the warriors of truth have arrived to launch their anger on the infidels, the Americans,” one of the suicide bombers by the name of Abu Doham said.

Wearing a black-and-white chequered turban and seated beside an assault rifle, Abu Doham said he was thankful to be granted the chance to carry out the operation. The video later showed him driving a cement truck.

The truck later exploded near the hotels sending flames and dust high in the air across the city centre.

A voice-over explained the reconnaissance missions which were carried out on the hotels and an off-camera voice was heard supposedly instructing the suicide bombers on how to carry out the mission.

“And God granted success to the mujahideen (holy warriors) who hit the Palestine hotel, which held foreign journalists and security companies that protected important people and agencies,” a voice- over said.

The video showed footage of the explosions but it was not clear whether it was footage the group had shot or news footage.

What appeared to be other group members were heard rejoicing off- camera after seeing footage of the explosions.

The video also showed what appeared to be old footage of Osama bin Laden and his senior aide Ayman al Zawahri walking along what looked like the mountainous plains of Afghanistan and played what appeared to be old voice clips from bin Laden.