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November 10, 2003

Five people (including a soldier on duty at the presidential palace) were killed when the Hutu FNL rebel group fired off ten mortar shells (with three hitting the president's residence) and mounted a ground attack as a show of force in Burundi's capital. The bombardment that also wounded two men guarding the US military attach's house and destroyed his automobile, when a mortar bomb hit his home. In the spirit of equality, the home of a Chinese diplomat living inside that country's embassy compound was also destroyed by a rocket. Another blast also left a three foot wide hole in the embassy's ceiling. Obviously, FNL skills leave a lot to be desired. The attack took place two weeks before the larger FDD rebel group was due to join the ranks of an enlarged administration. Meanwhile, the army used mortars and rocket launchers to open up a major offensive to flush FLN fighters out of the hills which surround Bujumbura. - Adam Geibel