Al Jazeera spokesman Mohammed Al-Sahhaf, former Iraqi Information Minister, denies transmitting pictures of killings or beheadings. "Infidel Apache helicopters? None within a thousand miles of our beloved Baghdad."
Posted on 06/04/2005 10:17:38 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Sat Jun 4, 7:57 AM ET
DUBAI (Reuters) - The Arab TV channel Al Jazeera rejected on Saturday as unfounded Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's accusations that it was encouraging Islamic militant groups by airing beheadings of foreign hostages in Iraq.
"Al Jazeera ... has never at any time transmitted pictures of killings or beheadings and ... any talk about this is absolutely unfounded," the television said in a statement.
Al Jazeera, repeatedly accused by Washington of biased reporting on Iraq, has often shown video of hostages pleading at gunpoint for their government to withdraw its troops. But it does not broadcast footage of killings, posted on the Internet by militants.
The channel voiced "deep regret and surprise" over Rumsfeld's remarks.
Rumsfeld earlier said: "If anyone lived in the Middle East and watched a network like the Al Jazeera day after day after day, even if he was an American, he would start waking up and asking what's wrong. But America is not wrong.
"It's the people who are going on television chopping off people's heads, that is wrong," he told a security conference in Singapore.
"And television networks that carry it and promote it and jump on the spark every time there is a terrorist act are promoting the acts," he said.
Al Jazeera's offices in Baghdad and in the Afghan capital, Kabul, have been hit by U.S. fire but Washington said the bombings were accidental and had not targeted the network.
Al Jazeera, based in Qatar, won millions of Arab viewers before and during the U.S-led war against Afghanistan, and aired exclusive footage of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
The channel has angered some Arab governments as well as Washington with its coverage of the war in Iraq, Islamic militancy and interviews with Arab dissidents.
Al Jazeera is forbidden to report from Saudi Arabia, and Iraq's U.S.-backed authorities closed its office there, accusing it of supporting insurgents.
The station, which has interviewed Iraqi government and U.S. officials on Iraq, denies it is helping the militants' cause.
More than 150 foreigners have been kidnapped in Iraq in the past year. Some have been released, but about one third have been killed.
Anyway, Rummy's job is to strike fear into enemies. He is doing it well.
I guess we didn't see what we saw. Only think that I can think of is that Al Jazeera is distinguishing between 'Broadcasting' over the airwaves, and 'Posting' on the internet. In my book that's a distinction without a difference, and they're being 'Clinton-esque'.
What's the Arab word/verb for "IS" ? :D
Did they hire the former Iraqi information minister. Wasn't it Baghdad Bob or something..."There are no American forces at Saddaam Intl Airport."
Al Jazeera spokesman Mohammed Al-Sahhaf, former Iraqi Information Minister, denies transmitting pictures of killings or beheadings. "Infidel Apache helicopters? None within a thousand miles of our beloved Baghdad."
It's like saying we never went to the moon.
Sunday, June 13, 2004. 6:52pm (AEST)
*****Al-Jazeera airs American's execution*****
Qatar's Al-Jazeera television station has aired video footage of what it says is the murder of US national Robert Jacob in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, by suspected Al Qaeda killers.
The body of a man in Western dress is seen hitting the ground as several gunshots ring out.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200406/s1130965.htm
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