United States Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz had a narrow escape on Sunday morning when the Rashid Hotel in Baghdad in which he was staying was attacked with rockets.

The hotel is home to several top ranking US government personnel.

"Deputy defence secretary Wolfowitz escaped all right," a US official was quoted as saying by CNN.

"Six to eight rockets hit the Rashid hotel at 6:10 am (local time). The incident is under investigation," a military spokesman added.

The hotel is in an area sealed off with heavy security inside the main centre of operation of the US-led coalition ruling Iraq.

An Arabic television channel showed footage of two impacts, one on the side of the building and another on one of the facades where windows appeared shattered.

On September 27, the Rashid hotel was hit by three homemade mortar bombs or rockets that left no casualties and only minor damage.

The Rashid Hotel, built in 1983, used to house most of the foreign press, diplomats and many visiting Western businessmen before US-led forces invaded the country in March to oust Saddam Hussein.

Agencies