Iraqis begin historic vote despite risks

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BAGHDAD -- Voters trickled into polling stations under tight security today in Iraq, casting ballots and defying terrorists who promised to sabotage the country's first free elections in a half-century.

After poll workers checked his identification, Iraqi President Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer was one of the first to cast his vote at the convention center serving as election headquarters in the heavily fortified green zone.

Last night's quiet was shattered when a terrorist's rocket struck the U.S. Embassy , killing two Americans, as the city battened down in preparation for the vote.

The rocket hit the embassy compound, near the building itself, an embassy official said. A civilian and a U.S. Navy sailor, both assigned to the embassy, died and four Americans were injured.

"It hit near the embassy building," embassy spokesman Bob Callahan said. "There are two dead, and four who are wounded ... all Americans." The injuries of the wounded were not life-threatening, he said.

The attack deepened fears of a terrorist blitz on election day and demonstrated their ability to strike at the heart of the interim government and American power in the green zone, a vast complex on the west bank of the Tigris River.

It also demonstrated U.S. forces' ability to respond. The origin of the rocket was tracked and seven terrorist suspects were captured almost immediately after the attack.

Security forces yesterday closed the airport, borders and the roads to automobile traffic. Elsewhere in the country, Iraqis were celebrating in the streets, looking forward to having their voices heard after decades of dictatorship under Saddam Hussein.

Mr. al-Yawer told reporters yesterday he hoped that 50 percent or even two-thirds of Iraqis would vote, although he acknowledged that Sunni participation in the election would be low.

The vote is taking place amid a countrywide security lockdown, curfews, travel restrictions and a massive military presence. But insurgents still managed to break the quiet with prolonged gunfire and the explosions.