Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Italian Hostage Outraged At 'Clearing' Of US soldiers (Communist Guiliana Sgrena)
The Times ^ | April 26, 2005 | Philippe Naughton

Posted on 04/26/2005 6:12:01 AM PDT by MisterRepublican

An Italian journalist rescued from hostage-takers in Iraq last month has reacted angrily to a US military investigation absolving American soldiers of responsibility for killing the man who rescued her.

Nicola Calipari, a senior Italian intelligence agent, was shot dead on March 4 when US soldiers fired at his car as he took the reporter, Guiliana Sgrena, to Baghdad airport.

A report leaked by an American army official in Washington last night was said to have cleared US troops of any culpability for his death. The official said the soldiers had followed their rules of engagement and should not therefore face charges of dereliction of duty.

The probe was conducted in co-operation with the Italians, but the official conceded that Italy, a close US ally in Iraq, disagreed with its findings.

In a front page editorial in her left-wing daily Il Manifesto, Sgrena called on Silvio Berlusconi, the Prime Minister, to respond what she called a "slap in the face for the Italian Government".

Sgrena, a veteran war correspondent who was held hostage for a month in Iraq, wrote: "After the apologies comes the slap in the face."

She said that the Americans had not listened to either her testimony or that of another Italian agent, even though, she said, both had given the same evidence without discussing what had happened.

"Obviously, our two testimonies given to the American commission were useless. Or will I be charged with perjury?" questioned the journalist.

"The greatest disappointment would be if our authorities were to accept this insult without reacting."

The US army official said that the US investigation concluded that "the soldiers were all complying with the standard operating procedures for those checkpoints and therefore were not culpable of dereliction of duty in following their procedures".

(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: activist; antiwar; communist; italian; italy; jouranlist; liar; propagandist; sgrena

1 posted on 04/26/2005 6:12:02 AM PDT by MisterRepublican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: MisterRepublican

She's a Commie. What do you expect?


2 posted on 04/26/2005 6:12:53 AM PDT by Fenris6 (3 Purple Hearts in 4 months w/o missing a day of work? He's either John Rambo or a Fraud)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MisterRepublican
" . . . Or will I be charged with perjury?" questioned the journalist

Hopefully, you lying sack of dung.

3 posted on 04/26/2005 6:13:43 AM PDT by wideawake (God bless our brave soldiers and their Commander in Chief)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MisterRepublican
Wonder how "outraged she was" on 9/11, the beheadings of hostages, the rape rooms, the gas attacks on the kurds, ahhh never mind...
4 posted on 04/26/2005 6:13:57 AM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - They want to die for Islam, and we want to kill them.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MisterRepublican

The little commie doesn't want to acknowlege that ITALIAN military officials also participated in the investigation which cleared the US soldiers.

Neither apparently, does the UK Times....


5 posted on 04/26/2005 6:15:43 AM PDT by prairiebreeze (Blogs have a strangle hold on the MSM. The MSM is kicking out the windshield.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: prairiebreeze

I'm outraged that they missed her.


6 posted on 04/26/2005 6:18:22 AM PDT by yobid
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: prairiebreeze
The little commie doesn't want to acknowlege that ITALIAN military officials also participated in the investigation which cleared the US soldiers.

Sure she does , but her communist ideology won't let her to use reason or intellect to evaluate any situation. The Cold war is still on!

7 posted on 04/26/2005 6:20:31 AM PDT by Archon of the East ("universal executive power of the law of nature")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: MisterRepublican
"Another key issue was whether the Italians had notified the Americans that Calipari would be traveling to the airport with Sgrena, and if so why the soldiers manning the checkpoint had not been alerted."

This is key. Because if the proper protocol had been followed, it would not matter how fast or slow her car was traveling. The matter would have been less tragic. In any case, the widow of the dead Italian intell. guy has a case to sue the the journalist and Italian officials for mishandling the whole thing. Wonder what if any conversation the widow had with the 'journalist'. There is a story you will NEVER hear in your life. In fact, if the widow concurred with any of the journalist's hype or if she herself disagreed with the findings of the investigation, the journalist would be all over her for the story.
8 posted on 04/26/2005 6:23:11 AM PDT by SMARTY
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MisterRepublican

The Italian people should be outraged that the life of a good man was wasted in "saving" her sorry butt.


9 posted on 04/26/2005 6:23:22 AM PDT by cripplecreek (I don't suffer from stress. I am a carrier!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Archon of the East

Archon of the East wrote:
The Cold war is still on!

--> Yup, it is cold in here, i think i'm gonna fireup the heater, burn up some gas!


10 posted on 04/26/2005 6:23:37 AM PDT by 1FASTGLOCK45 (FreeRepublic: More fun than watching Dem'Rats drown like Turkeys in the rain! ! !)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: MisterRepublican
Tell you what Guiliana, let's try that again.
You get your killer friends to "kidnap" you again, arrange another "dramatic" escape and we'll get our guys to take better aim this next time...
11 posted on 04/26/2005 6:24:22 AM PDT by Publius6961 (The most abundant things in the universe are ignorance, stupidity and hydrogen)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MisterRepublican

---"Obviously, our two testimonies given to the American commission were useless. Or will I be charged with perjury?" questioned the journalist.---

One can only hope.


12 posted on 04/26/2005 6:25:44 AM PDT by claudiustg (Go Sharon! Go Bush!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MisterRepublican

She needs to build a bridge and get over it.


13 posted on 04/26/2005 6:26:33 AM PDT by Constantine XIII
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Constantine XIII

Or jump off of it.


14 posted on 04/26/2005 6:28:27 AM PDT by rhc2000
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: wideawake

She is a lying sack and should be charged with perjury. Maybe sedition as well.


15 posted on 04/26/2005 6:38:31 AM PDT by KC_Conspirator (This space outsourced to India)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: rhc2000

he he, even better ^^


16 posted on 04/26/2005 6:43:17 AM PDT by Constantine XIII
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: MisterRepublican

Rescued? Only if rescued means purchased with ramsom money.


17 posted on 04/26/2005 6:46:56 AM PDT by savedbygrace ("No Monday morning quarterback has ever led a team to victory" GW Bush)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MisterRepublican

She's lucky to be alive.I had doubts about the kidnapping when i first heard about it.This smelled from day 1.Why would terrorist's kidnap and threaten to kill someone who for all intents and purposes is an ally?Why wasn't the American military in Iraq informed she was being released?Why didn't her car stop at the ck point?


18 posted on 04/26/2005 7:09:02 AM PDT by thombo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MisterRepublican

Commie reporter babe colludes with Terrorists to get them MILLIONS in funding from the Italian Gov't.

Of course the US would not allow it, so they did 99% of it behind their back, tried to make a last second phone call hoping to get out in the confusion, and instead got killed in it.

Serves them right.

Remember, $200 per 'soldier' per 'operation' regardless how how many people killed. Thats the going price for 'insurgents' in Iraq.

This useless women and the useless Italian Gov't and the useless intel agent all got what they deserved.


19 posted on 04/26/2005 7:19:07 AM PDT by FreedomNeocon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MisterRepublican

Is she still claiming that not only 300 to 500 rounds were fired into the car, but also that a TANK fired on and hit the car?


20 posted on 04/26/2005 9:15:49 AM PDT by Phantom Lord (Advantages are taken, not handed out)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MisterRepublican

They seam to think that OUTRAGE only applies to them.


21 posted on 04/26/2005 9:26:50 AM PDT by lillybet (Please)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson