U.S. Military Wounds Recently-Released Hostage

The U.S. military suffered a major embarrassment over the weekend when it shot at a vehicle that was carrying a recently-released Italian reporter to the Baghdad International Airport, killing her escort and wounding her. Two different interpretations of the incident are being circulated.

The military is claiming that the car approached a checkpoint outside the airport and refused to stop, ignoring warning shots and bright lights that were intended to make the driver of the car stop. The Italian reporter is claiming that U.S. troops were targeting her and that there were no warnings. She had no proof of her version of the events.

It seems more likely that a mistake was made; who is more at fault will become clearer as time goes on. It seems like this reporter, who works for a Communist Party newspaper in Italy, has taken full advantage of this situation to drive a wedge between the U.S. and Italy by claiming that U.S. troops were out to kill her. She got her story, and international journalistic integrity will suffer because of it.

Even before this incident, the majority of Italians supported pulling their troops out of Iraq. With images of the flag-draped casket of the intelligence officer who was escorting her to the airport being broadcast throughout Italy, that will probably add fuel to the fire and add weight to the reporter’s version of events.

She has no proof that the troops were trying to kill her; she would be dead if they were. That part of her claim is utter nonsense.

It should be noted that this reporter went through a very bad experience in Iraq, being kidnapped and threatened by the insurgents for weeks before she was mysteriously released. Some are saying that someone paid off the kidnappers to release her, which will only encourage them to continue doing it.

Two possible outcomes from this: she'll set the record straight, or she won't and will continue to use the outpouring of Italian public support to influence public discourse on the war. Given the choices and her political affiliation, it seems likely that she'll choose the latter.