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Americans shoot at the freed Italian reporter
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| DrUg_Tit0 |
| quote: | Wounded Italian hostage back home
Italian agent killed, others wounded in checkpoint shooting
Saturday, March 5, 2005 Posted: 6:32 AM EST (1132 GMT)
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena has returned to Rome, hours after American troops in Iraq fired on the car she was in, wounding her and killing an Italian intelligence officer escorting the former hostage.
A plane carrying Sgrena back from Iraq landed at Rome's Ciampino Airport on Saturday morning. A crowd milled around it as Sgrena's relatives and dignitaries including Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi boarded the plane to greet her.
A few moments later, she emerged, walking with assistance from two men, and was taken to a nearby ambulance.
U.S. President George W. Bush has promised to hold a full investigation into the incident, which occurred shortly after Sgrena was released following a month in captivity in Iraq.
Nicola Calipari was killed when he tried to shield the 56-year-old former hostage from gunfire as they approached a military checkpoint near the airport in Baghdad.
Calipari, who had worked to release other Italian hostages, died when he threw himself over Sgrena to protect her.
The incident came just hours after Sgrena, a reporter for the leftist Italian newspaper Il Manifesto, was freed following a month in captivity.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi summoned U.S. ambassador Mel Sembler on Friday night and demanded a full investigation, and took a telephone call from Bush who expressed his regrets.
"This was a call to reach out to a good friend and express our regret about the incident," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said, according to Reuters.
"The president assured Prime Minister Berlusconi that it would be fully investigated ... We're cooperating closely with Italian authorities."
Berlusconi is a staunch Bush supporter, backing the U.S.-led invasion and sending in the Italian troops after Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003.
He said the two other people in the car contacted his office after the incident and "they were in disbelief at the fatality at the end of a brilliantly concluded operation." (Full story)
Sgrena's partner said he could not fault the U.S. soldiers, telling Reuters they were probably "scared boys," and the blame lay with those who had sent them to Iraq.
But CNN's Alessio Vinci reported that Saturday's Il Manifesto newspaper had accused U.S. forces of "assassinating" Calipari.
In a written statement, Multi-National Forces said that at 9 p.m. (1800 GMT) they opened fire on a vehicle that was approaching a checkpoint at a high speed.
U.S. troops "attempted to warn the driver to stop by hand and arm signals, flashing white lights, and firing warning shots in front of the car," the statement said.
"When the driver didn't stop, the soldiers shot into the engine block, which stopped the vehicle, killing one and wounding two others."
CNN's Nic Robertson said coalition forces's rule of engagement permit them to use escalating levels of force if they fel threatened. They can use lethal force, for example, if a car refuses to stop for a checkpoint.
The road where the incident took place, near Baghdad's airport, was particularly dangerous, Robertson added.
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I mean, how stupid can you get? |
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| igottaknow |
| If the soldiers are accurately describing what happened, they didn't stop at the check point, then firing at the car was justified. |
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| Moongoose |
| quote: |
U.S. troops "attempted to warn the driver to stop by hand and arm signals, flashing white lights, and firing warning shots in front of the car," the statement said.
"When the driver didn't stop, the soldiers shot into the engine block, which stopped the vehicle, killing one and wounding two others."
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A dont know about any of you but if someone starts shooting at my the last thing i would consider doing is stopping the car and ask the guy what hes on about. |
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| Jackson |
| quote: | Originally posted by Moongoose
A dont know about any of you but if someone starts shooting at my the last thing i would consider doing is stopping the car and ask the guy what hes on about. |
Lol!
*Bang*....Stops and Rolls down window...."Excuse me, please dont do that!"
On a more serious note i feel bad for the Itlaian Agent, mission almost complete and then this stupid little accident happens!
RIP Buddy |
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| Yoepus |
wow, this defintely sounds like a made for TV movie. I don't feel sorry for Sgrena, I think she's going to make a lot of money out of this.
But Calipari sounds like quiet the hero. RIP.
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There are numerous ways once could speculate to how this is was an accidient.
The car speeding after the rescue, with special ops officers (probably civilian clothed) with arms. These italians might have looked Arab (as they are mediterrianian0. US soldiers doing checkpoint duty with piss poor aim. |
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| Jackson |
| quote: | Originally posted by Yoepus
There are numerous ways once could speculate to how this is was an accidient.
The car speeding after the rescue, with special ops officers (probably civilian clothed) with arms. These italians might have looked Arab (as they are mediterrianian0. US soldiers doing checkpoint duty with piss poor aim. |
Very very good points made. We shouldnt all jump on the bandwagon saying "The americans are trigger happy, they shoot anything and everything except for themselves".
Either way a brave mans life has been wasted! |
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| ierxium |
The americans are trigger happy, they shoot anything and everything except for themselves!! :whip:
Please ban GTA! |
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| occrider |
| quote: | Originally posted by ierxium
The americans are trigger happy, they shoot anything and everything except for themselves!! :whip:
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Oh yea???
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic...03/MN117862.DTL
We're so trigger happy we'll even shoot ourselves! So nobody mess with us! |
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| ierxium |
Clearly an accident.
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| occrider |
| quote: | Originally posted by ierxium
Clearly an accident.
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Clearly a joke ... |
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| Jackson |
Reminds me of 8 mile |
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| ierxium |
| quote: | Originally posted by occrider
Clearly a joke ... |
which I caught. ;)
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