Hostage freed/then shot

I think the real unfortuante thing was the loss of an Italian intelligence agent. That was REALLY stupid. God.... I mean... What should have happened was that car with the freed hostage should have linked up with an American escort convoy as quickly as possible.
 
Hi,

Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said a shooting incident occurred as the Italian woman was being brought into U.S. military control at Camp Victory, the U.S. military base near Baghdad International Airport.
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Clearly lack of Cordination and Information :? .

Must be horrible to stay that long as a hostage ......... and just when you sense freedom you have to go through it all over again.

The editor of Il Manifesto, Gabriele Polo, said the Italian agent was killed when he threw himself over the freed hostage to protect her from U.S. fire, according to Apcom.
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:( :?



Peace
-=SF_13=-
 
Jesus...
I know it means squat now but the Italian agent deserves the highest honor that country can bestow on him.
I think that was the real loss. Not so much the hostage. Silly Communist who's silly little adventure made people needlessly risk their lives. There's got to be a serious explanation on the American side, and a few axings.

Ohh I just read the article the hostage survived.
I hope she learns a lesson from this. People like her can say sh1t etc. because there are hard, brave and dedicated men who risk their lives to defend them regardless of what they say about them.
Some comments from Il Manifesto is just talking bollocks though.
 
Hostage recalls 'hail of gunfire'

HI,

She is Back In Rome

From the hospital, Giuliana Sgrena told Rai News 24 by telephone that "we thought the danger was over after my rescue."

"And instead, suddenly there was this shooting. We were hit by a spray of fire," she told the television network. "I was talking to Nicola ... when he leaned over me, probably to defend me, and then he slumped over. That was a truly terrible thing."

Pier Scolari, the journalist's boyfriend, said she told him: "The most difficult moment was when I saw the person who had saved me die in my arms," according to the ANSA news agency. Calipari was to be awarded a posthumous medal of valor, officials said.

Source
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Source:BBC News

Hostage recalls 'hail of gunfire'

Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena has described how she came under a "hail of gunfire" moments after being released from her Iraqi abductors in Baghdad.

"I was especially shocked because we thought that by then the danger was past," she told Italy's Rai radio.

Ms Sgrena, who was wounded in the incident, has been sent to a military hospital in Rome for an operation.

She denied US military accounts that the car was speeding past a checkpoint when it was fired upon.

US President George W Bush has pledged to fully investigate the shooting, in which a senior Italian security agent, Nicola Calipari, died.

Ms Sgrena was abducted on 4 February. It is unclear how she was released.

Some Italian press reports say a ransom was paid.

'Terrible thing'

Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, one of President Bush's staunchest allies, has demanded to know why US troops fired on the car carrying Ms Sgrena to safety.

"There was suddenly this shooting, we were hit by a hail of gunfire, and I was speaking with Nicola, who was telling me about what had been happening in Italy in the meantime, when he leaned towards me, probably also to protect me," Ms Sgrena told Rai radio.


There was suddenly this shooting, we were hit by a hail of gunfire
--Giuliana Sgrena

"And then he collapsed and I realised that he was dead."

She said the shooting continued "because the driver wasn't even managing to explain that we were Italian".

"So, it was a really terrible thing."

Asked if the car was going too fast when the US troops opened fire, she said: "We weren't going particularly fast given that type of situation."


The death of one of Italy's most senior intelligence officers in the shooting cast a pall of gloom over what should have been a joyous occasion, says our Rome correspondent.

Mr Calipari is being portrayed as a national hero in Saturday's Italian press for his courage in saving Ms Sgrena's life.

A little-known militant group, Islamic Jihad Organisation, had said it kidnapped Giuliana Sgrena and demanded that Italy withdraw its troops from Iraq.

The same group said in September it had killed two Italian aid workers, Simona Torretta and Simona Pari - but they were later released by another organisation.
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Peace
-=SF_13=-
 
Asked if the car was going too fast when the US troops opened fire, she said: "We weren't going particularly fast given that type of situation."
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Not going particulary fast? You are supposed to stop., are you not?

She said the shooting continued "because the driver wasn't even managing to explain that we were Italian".
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If he had stopped he could have explained. It was a check point. Again I feel terribly bad that this happened, but she even said they did not stop. Why? Tragedy. :(
 
Here is a reply I gave to someone who asked how military check points work in Iraq.

I will tell you how things progressed when I was in Iraq. After the war ended, we pulled into fortified positions. The security at these sites were not that good. We allowed local vehicles to pull right up the the gate without much trouble. There may have been a few concrete barriers in the way. The suicide bombers changed all that. After a few car bombs went off right at the front gate of a few military posts and killed more than a few US soldiers, the US was forced to be more aggressive in the defence of the posts. More obstacles were placed between the gate and the US soldiers. Warning signs were also put up in english and in arabic warning cars to slow down and stop. A sign with a skull and cross bones was also put up. This was to warn anyone to slow down or be shot. A suicide bomber will try to get as close as possible before blowing himself up. Once a vehicle stops, everyone will get out and show that they mean no harm. Then soldiers will approach to inspect the vehicle. I have never encountered an attack at the gate. The people I saw definitely showed us they were peaceful. Normally a 50 cal machine gun will cover the gate. If a car fails to yield, the rules on engagement says the soldiers can open up. The press and coalition will take measures to ensure that they are not attacked. Many of their cars have "Press" or "TV" painted on their vehicles.

I was briefed about IEDs and security measures about Iraq last week. It seems the US gov has hired a civilian company to assist in IED prevention and general security. All the people in that company are former military who have seen combat action. He made the point that by now, everyone in Iraq knows what to do at military check points. He said if a car fails to yeild, it is a pretty good bet that that car means to do harm.

From what I have read about the incident, I feel that the driver may be at fault. If he attempted to speed though a military check point, he would have been deemed a threat. I truely hope the investigation shows that the US soldiers were not trigger happy. If the soldiers guarding the gate were new to Iraq, that also may be a possibility.
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I would say a squd normally covers the security at the gate. Who ever mans the big gun (50 cal, 240b) that is covering the enterence is going to be in a position to see the entire gate. Normally that person will not fire unless given orders by the Sergeant of the Guard. Most soldiers have ICOMS so communication is pretty fast. There will be at least 2 soldiers for security and a couple for searching. Once the car stops and everyone gets out. The people are first searched and then put off to the side. Then the car is searched.

Some bombs are set off by keyless entry devices or garage door operers. Sicne Iraqis are somewhat poor, mot do not have them. We have been told that those items are a tell tail sign of a bomb maker. I would shit a brick if I found one on a civilian that was coming into my gate.

A nother thing to add is that the tactics I have been talking about are working. The deaths from suicide car bombers are down. I did some reading about the incident. The wounded reporter said she did not think she was speeding. She never mentioned anything about stopping. I know for a fact that vihicles are suppose to stop far short of the gate. As I said, there are enough signs to make that point crystal clear.
 
Sounds like the whole thing is a series of mistakes on the part of the Italians culminating in a misunderstanding leading to the US to open fire.
how much mileage is this reporter going to get out of it.
And who was she with when she was origionaly picked up? What happened to them.
 
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