Posted on 03/06/2005 5:01:22 AM PST by Crackingham
Italian hostage Giuliana Sgrena, shot and wounded after being freed in Iraq, said Sunday U.S. forces may have deliberately targeted her because Washington opposed Italy's policy of dealing with kidnappers.
She offered no evidence for her claim, but the sentiment reflected growing anger in Italy over the conduct of the war, which has claimed more than 20 Italian lives, including the secret agent who rescued her moments before being killed.
Friday evening's killing of the agent and wounding of the journalist, who worked for a communist daily, has sparked tension with Italy's U.S. allies and put pressure on Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to take a hard line with President Bush.
The United States has promised a full investigation into incident, in which soldiers fired on the Italians' car as it approached Baghdad airport Friday evening.
The U.S. military says the car was speeding toward a checkpoint and ignored warning shots, an explanation denied by government ministers and the driver of the car.
Speaking from her hospital bed where she is being treated, Sgrena told Sky Italia TV it was possible the soldiers had targeted her because Washington opposes Italy's dealings with kidnappers that may include ransom payments.
"The United States doesn't approve of this (ransom) policy and so they try to stop it in any way possible."
According to Italy's leading daily Corriere della Sera, the driver, an unidentified Italian agent, said: "We were driving slowly, about 40-50 km/h (25-30 mph)."
In a harrowing account of her ordeal, Sgrena wrote in Sunday's Il Manifesto newspaper that the secret agent, Nicola Calipari, saved her life by shielding her with his body.
"Nicola threw himself on to protect me and then suddenly I heard his last breath as he died on top of me," she wrote.
So she's an Eason Jordan fan.
"U.S. Stops Sending Italian Government Free Monetary Handouts"...
Headline:
rooters puts anti-American headline on yesterdays article and sells it as todays news.
Sorry sweetie, fog of war and all that . . .
It's beyond me that a single life was risked to keep this bitch's head attached to her shoulders. It's obviously doing her no good there.
It sounds like Sgrena is now the voice of Italy; who needs a government when you can have a communist mouthpiece.
I've got one question for her: Why did you all refuse to stop, sweetie? Inquiring minds want to know.
Our young troops are there trying to protect their own lives.
If they say they shot at the car because it was going to fast for them to feel comfortable, then that's what they did.
When they're uncomfortable in a war zone, I want them looking out for themselves first.
Period.
Which ones? No quotes or indications of any kind elsewhere in the story.
What an unmitigated load of cr@p.
Apparently she doesn't need evidence as long as she "feels" it's the truth. Another impartial liberal "journalist".
From the evidence, so far, it looks like the driver has a lot of explaining to do.
And what of Ms. Communist's 'harrowing ordeal' at the hands of her 'captors'? It was nothing next to what the bad U.S. military did, eh? She got some more funding for her terrorist buddies so I guess it was worth it.
I wonder how much the Italians paid out in ransom? I notice that hasn't been deemed newsworthy for some strange reason.
awwwww, I hope this won't mean we will have to boycott all things Italian! ;-)
America is always wrong until someone needs us to defend them.
When you're in war zone and the U.S. military tells you to stop...you stop or be treated as a suicide bomber intent on killing American soldiers.
It's that simple.
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