http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2005-03-05-iraq_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA
Giuliana Sgrena, who writes for the communist newspaper Il Manifesto, described how she was wounded and Italian intelligence officer Nicola Calipari was killed as she was celebrating her freedom on the way to the airport. The shooting Friday has fueled anti-American sentiment in a country where people are deeply opposed to U.S. policy in Iraq.
"I remember only fire," she said in her article. "At that point a rain of fire and bullets came at us, forever silencing the happy voices from a few minutes earlier."
Sgrena said the driver began shouting that they were Italian, then "Nicola Calipari dove on top of me to protect me and immediately, and I mean immediately, I felt his last breath as he died on me."
Suddenly, she said, she remembered her captors' warning her "to be careful because the Americans don't want you to return."
The U.S. military said the Americans used hand and arm signals, flashing white lights and fired warning shots to get the car to stop. But in an interview Saturday with Italian La 7 TV, Sgrena said "there was no bright light, no signal." She said the car was traveling at "regular speed."
Italian military officials said two other agents were wounded, but U.S. officials said it was only one. The agent who was killed, Calipari, had led negotiations for the journalist's release.
So, did Snegra’s car go too fast and ignore warnings from American troops?
I don’t know. But it seems fairly unbelievable to me that US troops would be unaware who was in that car and why they were speeding. Snegra claims that she may have been targeted because the US disagrees with Italy’s policy of negotiating with terrorists. Yet is also seems amazing that the military would resort to something so crude and obvious. Maybe they assumed no one would believe a Communist.
Either way, it’s going to be a big headache for the pro-war government of Silvio Berlusconi. The slain Italian officer had a huge funeral in Rome yesterday, and anti-American sentiment is quite high.
5 comments:
This is a tragic incident, but it should be made clear that Sgrena, in her description of the shooting, contradicts herself several times. That may be understandable, given the trauma she's been through, but it still places doubt on her claims of U.S. military abuses.
Also, the car that was transporting her had NO official markings on it whatsoever. The Italian embassy couldhave provided one w/o any fear of danger, since a ransom had already been paid. It's not like this was a rescue operation that needed a cover. Also, the car in question hasn't yet been found - so, we don't know how "bullet-ridden" it is.
All we have right now are the claims of a virulently anti-American journalist who was in a state of trauma at the time, and the ceaseless presumptions of the international press. Let's get all the facts before making accusations.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/050308/481/rom17003082010
This is a pic of what is said to be Sgrena's car. Bullet ridden? I think not.
Hm? Then how did Nicola Calipari die? It's certainly possible that Sgrena overestimated the number of shots - when you hear gunfire, it usually sounds much more than it really is - but the US has, at least, admitted firing the shots that killed her bodyguard and injured two others. So what does it matter exactly how many bullets were used?
I don't think the issue at hand is whether or not the troops fired at the car. It is obvious they did, and that's how Calipari was tragically killed.
The issue is whether the troops exercised good judgement or fired indiscriminately.
So, we have contradictory statements from a traumatized America-hater, a car with no signs of identification that it was *safe*, and pictures of that car with very little evidence of being "bullet ridden".
None of that points to exceeding irresponsibility on the part of the U.S. military.
Update: Italian PM Berlusconi says that the US military was fully aware of what was going on, and that Snegra's car came to a full stop when ordered to by US troops.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1433940,00.html
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