Posted on 05/21/2004 5:47:11 AM PDT by TexKat
DUBAI, Reuters (Reuters) - Arab channel Al Jazeera said on Friday one of its employees was killed overnight in clashes between U.S. forces and militiamen loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
The Qatar-based news network also demanded the U.S. Army conduct a full and quick investigation into the death of 38-year-old Rashid Hamid Wali.
The father of six was killed while Al Jazeera was filming fighting in the southern city of Kerbala where U.S. forces are battling to put down a weeks-old rebellion by Sadr's militia.
"Al Jazeera announces with a heavy heart the death of Rashid Hamid Wali, a member of its team covering events in Kerbala. Rashid died as a result of a bullet that hit him in the left eye, exiting the back of the head," a statement said.
"The fateful incident took place while Al Jazeera's team, positioned on the rooftop of their hotel, was covering fierce fighting between U.S. forces and the Mehdi Army," a network statement said.
"Wali was hit by a single bullet when he stuck his head out from the rooftop of the hotel, looking down on the street, after hearing the sound of U.S. armored vehicles moving."
It said it had no details about the source of the bullet but added witnesses showed newsmen samples of the bullets that hit the area.
"Al Jazeera asks the U.S. occupying forces and the temporary Iraqi Governing Council to carry a quick, official and full investigation to find out the facts," it added.
The channel showed footage of Wali's young son, family and colleagues crying as they received the news.
Twenty-eight journalists have died covering the war and its aftermath since the United States and its coalition partners invaded in March 2003 to oust President Saddam Hussein.
The Arab channel, which has angered Washington for its graphic coverage of the war and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, lost one of its correspondents, Tareq Ayoub, in April 2003 when U.S. forces fired at Jazeera offices in Baghdad.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said this month Iraqi journalists were playing a larger role in covering the U.S.-led war and were frequently harassed, threatened and attacked by occupation troops and insurgents.
Iraqi journalists were critical to reporting uprisings in the restive Sunni town of Falluja west of Baghdad and the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf in April, CPJ said. The cities were considered too dangerous for Western journalists, especially nationals of countries in the U.S.-led coalition.
CPJ said that nearly all of the journalists killed in 2003 were foreign correspondents from Britain, Spain, Australia, Germany, the United States and other countries.
This year, 12 of the 14 journalists killed were Iraqis, while six Iraqi media workers were also killed.
Journalists of the al-Jazeera TV channel carry the coffin of their killed colleague Rashid Hamid Wali through the streets of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 21, 2004. The Arab satellite station said one of its employees had been shot in his hotel in the southern city of Karbala late Thursday, during a battle between US forces and militiamen loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
We have concluded we made a mistake in judging wind velocity causing him to be hit in the eye instead of directly between the eyes.
We apologize and will continue to practice on heads that pop up until this does not happen again.
Note to Al Jazeera Reporters: Poking your head up from a rooftop when American forces are advancing can be hazardous to your health or get you dead, graveyard dead
Dadgummit! Can't these cursed sandmaggots get their story straight? The original article clearly indicated that the goofball was shot in the eye, and the bullet exited the rear of his head. Which should be enough in and of itself to qualify him as a mullah, by the way.
I wonder if al-jazeera is handing out press credentials to terrorists... they're such an "unbiased" organization. ;)
Journalists of the al-Jazeera TV channel react as the coffin of their killed colleague Rashid Hamid Wali is carried through the streets of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 21, 2004. The Arab satellite station said one of its employees had been shot in his hotel in the southern city of Karbala late Thursday, during a battle between US forces and militiamen loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
Lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas.
Lie down with terrorists, wake up dead.
I am deeply saddened, deeply saddened.
A journalist died. Whether a journalist from the bad guys or good guys is irrelevant. He was shot and he died.
It is always a bad thing when civilians become part of the war. We are out to kill bad guys. They are out to kill us. You get in the middle of that, you take a risk. He took a risk and he paid for it with his life.
No investigation needs to be conducted. He is a casualty of war. Mourn him and move on.
As a side note, It really isn't right to make fun of him or degrade him. Doing that places us at the same level as DU'ers.
I won't sink that low. Neither should any of you.
If I were a US sniper/countersniper and I saw someone poke their head up on a roof with something on their shoulder (RPG?) and point it towards a friendly tank, I don't think I'd hesitate much.
Strange somehow.
FM: Department of Defense
TO: Al Jazeera
RE: Sudden Career Opportunity For Another "Journalist"
DT: 5/21/04
The results of our investigation revealed that your "journalist" was on the side of the bad guys during an attack against the good guys. His actions were of a highly suspicious nature. One of our snipers terminated him, his camera, and his career. If your "journalists" choose to embed with terrorists, they will experience embedded bullets. That is all.
ZZZZZZZZZZ
Regards from President Bush
The Pentagon
Complete the sentence
The Qatar-based news network also demanded the U.S. Army conduct a full and quick investigation into the death of 38-year-old Rashid Hamid Wali, who was waiting for the militant ambush to develop.
Aw jeez, I'm all broken up.
Lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas.
I understand your point, but Al Jazeera is in fact aiding the enemy and the journalist was in fact not a neutral civilian.
Bingo. Sniper 'overwatch' at work.
Here are the facts:
"The fateful incident took place while Al Jazeera's team, positioned on the rooftop of their hotel, was covering fierce fighting between U.S. forces and the Mehdi Army," a network statement said. "Wali was hit by a single bullet when he stuck his head out from the rooftop of the hotel, looking down on the street, after hearing the sound of U.S. armored vehicles moving." Case closed.
Al Jazeera reports U.S. Army Col. Hymie Greenbergstein, from Roslyn NY said "we were so badly outnumbered we ended up lobbing grenaded and tank fire at residential buildings, orphanages and hospitals."
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