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.
Always a smart idea in the middle of an urban fire fight. Clearly someone earned his marksmanship medal.
There's a little good in every one.
And another one down, another one down, another one bites the dust...
Jazeera Newsman?? Which one - Brokaw, Jennings, or Rather??
Report of in depth investigation: Yep, he's dead alright.
Not so sure about that. He gives the station the information and they put it on the air after filtering it.
Even so, his weapon was a camera and not an AK. Unless we are making some statement to Al Jazeira that if they continue to report garbage their journalists cannot be assusred of their safety, then all I can ascertain is that this was an accident.
Ditto, not only is Al Jazeera aiding the enemy...is there any hope that Sean Penn, Dan Rather-biased, Peter Jennings or other human shields might poke their heads up over there?
Oh please, how often do you think he covers US Soldiers repairing schools or providing medical aid to Iraqis. I would bet 1 million new Iraqi Dinars al Jizz gives their reporters standing orders to find wounded Iraqis, carnage and anythign elese that makes the US look bad.
Hmmmm, why no demand for an investigation of Al-Sadr's "Mehdi Army?"
Al-Jazeera's Watchword:
All the Facts That Fit, Smothered in a Garnish of Richly Imaginative Fables.
ooops.
"... 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.
There are those that believe Jazeera is the local propaganda arm of the terrorists. Their work is killing our service people. They are the enemy.
Would you have asked Winston Churchill to mourn the death of one of Joseph Goebbels agents? Of course not.
Yeah, why don't they demand Sadr investigate? Unless a fellow Arab would never do such a thing... heh...
One less spy
Not asking Winston to do anything. My point is that we are treating this person as DU treats American soldiers that are killed.
If this person is to be treated as the enemy then maybe we should just go shooting all the journalists regardless of who they work for since all of them are Anti American anyway. That would of course include cbsnbcabccnnmsnbc.
>>The Qatar-based news network also demanded the U.S. Army
>>conduct a full and quick investigation...
Al-Jizeera is part of the propaganda apparatus of the enemy.
This makes Al-Jizeera an enemy asset.
Enemy assets get targeted. Simple.
End of report.
So, Andy, you'd have allowed "Reporters", sent out by Mr. Goebels and Co., to film the invasion of Normandy?
Goebels=Goebbels
Sure. Are they carrying cameras or guns?
>>Sure. Are they carrying cameras or guns?
In the hands of an adept propagandist, a camera is far more dangerous than a gun.
>>we should just go shooting all the journalists >>regardless of who they work for since all of them
>>are Anti American anyway.
>>That would of course include cbsnbcabccnnmsnbc.
It's not not so much that they are Anti-American as it is that they are Pro-Bolshevik.
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