Another Iraq thread: With friends like that...

[Alexander's Horse]

trigger happy US troops - what else is new?

[alva]

AH trolling - what else is new?

[techumseh]

Italian hostage freed, then shot by US forces

U.S. forces shoot just-freed Italian hostage, kill negotiator
Last Updated Fri, 04 Mar 2005 19:10:20 EST
CBC News
ROME - Joy turned to horror in Italy on Friday when an Italian journalist who had been held hostage in Iraq was released, only to be shot by U.S. military forces at a checkpoint in Baghdad.


Journalist Giuliana Sgrena underwent shoulder surgery in Baghdad Friday.
Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena suffered a shrapnel wound to her shoulder when an American armoured car fired on her vehicle, while an Italian intelligence officer who had negotiated her release was killed.

Sgrena's editor said the dead agent, Nicola Calipari, had thrown his body over Sgrena's in order to protect her.

Two other intelligence agents in the car were also injured.

Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, has asked the American ambassador to explain the incident.

"It's a shame that the joy we all felt was turned into tragedy," he said Friday evening.

In Washington, the Pentagon confirmed that a shooting occurred as the Italian woman was being brought to an American base near Baghdad's airport.

"At approximately 8:55 p.m. tonight, coalition forces assigned to the multinational force in Iraq fired on a vehicle that was approaching a coalition checkpoint in Baghdad at a high rate of speed," the military said in a statement.

The Italians' car made no move to slow down despite signals and warning shots, so U.S. forces fired into its engine block, the statement said.

White House press spokesman Scott McClellan said coalition forces will co-operate with Italian authorities during an investigation into the incident.

"We regret the loss of life," he said from Washington. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the Italian citizen."

Sgrena, a 56-year-old reporter for the communist daily newspaper Il Manifesto, had been held captive in Iraq since Feb. 4.

Thousands of demonstrators marched through downtown Rome last month demanding that Italy pull its troops out of Iraq, after a video was released of a tearful Sgrena warning that she would be killed if the country didn't withdraw.

Shortly after the video was released, the Italian senate voted to extend the country's 3,000-troop mission in Iraq to June.

The ANSA news agency said Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini expressed "great joy and enormous satisfaction" early Friday about the reporter's release.

She was at least the eighth Italian citizen seized in Iraq in recent months. Last September, two female Italian journalists were released unharmed by their unknown abductors after about three weeks.

At the time, the government denied allegations that it paid a $1-million US ransom for their release.

Several other Italian hostages have been killed by their captors.

[Urban Ranger]

Shoot first, ask questions later.

[Dis]

we already have a thread on this- with a poor title.

This goes to show you. Name your thread better

[Uncle Sparky]

She was a Commie - of course they shot her !

[Dinner]

No body knows what happened until both sides complete their investigation. Please, don't let that stop anyone from *****ing and pointing fingers though.

[Dis]

bump

[Urban Ranger]

Would a car going on a suicide bombing run have 4 people in it? That's a bit of a waste, isn't it?

[techumseh]

UR, can you transfer the other post's here?

edit: thank you

[Urban Ranger]

Okay, I have merged the two threads. Now the posts are in chronological order - so it's a bit wacky.

P.S. I have also deleted a couple of (now) irrelevant posts from the other thread.

[Agathon]

US troops are notorious for shooting without looking properly.

Everyone knows this except Americans. Why wait for a study when I've personally spoken to veterans of other countries who participated in America's last four wars before this one, and they've all said the same thing.

None of them are lefty commies either.

[Sandman]

I'm going to take the US military's story with a pinch of salt ("a high rate of speed"), since they're always ready with a load of half-truths and propaganda - remember Jessica Lynch?

Just to be fair, I'll wait to see if the Italian spy who was killed really did shield the reporter with his body - that could be propaganda as well.

Incidently, if this had been an Iraqi that was killed, the gung-ho types on this forum would probably be suggesting he get a Darwin award.

[The Mad Monk]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Would a car going on a suicide bombing run have 4 people in it? That's a bit of a waste, isn't it?

It happened at night -- how well can you see into an oncoming vehicle at night?

[techumseh]

MM: turn off your autoexcuse feature.