Posted on 03/07/2005 5:10:50 AM PST by Anglo
A state funeral for the Italian intelligence officer who died while saving a journalist just hours after she was released from a month in captivity in Iraq is taking place.
Nicola Calipari died when shielding Giuliana Sgrena from gunfire as their car drove towards an American checkpoint in Iraq.
The coffin of Mr Calipari has lain at tomb of the Unknown Soldier They were on their way to the airport when the American troops opened fire. Mr Calipari died from a single gunshot wound to the head.
About 10,000 Italians have filed past his coffin as it lay in state for the past two days a t Rome's Vittoriano monument. They have hailed Mr Calipari a hero.
The killing has put a strain on the close personal relationship between Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian premier, and George W Bush, the American president. Many Italians have been against the war and the presence of 3,000 Italian troops as part of the US-led coalition.
Journalist Ms Sgrena, writing in the newspaper Corriere della Sera over the weekend said the Americans starting firing a hail of bullets at the car.
But America said the car was speeding towards their checkpoint. Ms Sgrena, who writes for the communist newspaper Il Manifesto, is in hospital in Rome recovering from shrapnel wounds.
She was abducted Feb 4 in Baghdad and released after negotiations between Mr Calipari and the Iraqi insurgents on Friday.
Ms Sgrena said that it was possible they were targeted deliberately because the United States opposes Italy's policy of negotiating with kidnappers.
"I believe, but it's only a hypothesis, that the happy ending to the negotiations must have been irksome," she said. "The Americans are against this type of operation. For them, war is war, human life doesn't count for much."
Ms Sgrena has rejected the US military's account of the shooting, claiming instead that American soldiers gave no warning before they opened fire.
The White House said it was a "horrific accident" and promised a full investigation.
Neither Italian nor US officials gave details about how authorities won Ms Sgrena's release. But Giovanni Alemanno, agriculture minister, was quoted as saying it was "very probable" a ransom was paid.
Italian military officials said two other intelligence agents were wounded in the shooting; US officials said it was only one.
Well if you don't inform anybody that you're coming, then what the hell do they expect? Driving at speed at checkpoints is a muzzie nutjob tactic. Maybe the Allies should start employing psychics for soldiers, then they can all telepathically talk to each other... Sheesh!
First, "'We weren't going very fast, given the circumstances.
It was not a checkpoint, but a patrol that started firing right after lighting up a spotlight.
The firing was not justified by the movement of our automobile."
Later, for her Communist Manifeso, she changed the story to: "There was no bright light, no signal."
The only interpretation is that, once again, a Communist terrorist-supporter is exposed as a liar
--and one who arranged and transferred $8,000,000 to terrorists to again help murder more Americans, Iraqis, and brave Italians.
She has been caught in her own lie.
"Nicola Calipari died when shielding Giuliana Sgrena from gunfire as their car drove towards sped wrecklessly through an American checkpoint in Iraq."
There ya go. Now it's more accurate.
Bump and 'Roger that'.
Neither Italian nor US officials gave details about how authorities won Ms Sgrena's release.
Did Iraqi officials have anything to add to this? Or, has no one asked them?
The Washington Times' take is at:
http://www.washtimes.com/world/20050307-120131-5769r.htm
There were photos of the car on FR yesterday. Supposively, the Italians were claiming that 400 rounds were fired into it. 400 rounds of WHAT?! Paintballs? BB's? Rubber bands? The windshield wasn't even fractured.
If the photos you saw were the same ones I saw (an old whitish junker), that car does not match the description of the car the Italians were in (according to early reports of the incident.) The car the Italians were in was described as a dark 'Mercedes.'
The front-page story in Florida Today, failed to mention that this thing is a long time Communist who is a sworn enemy of the American People. Further the $1,000,000.00 that was paid to the terrorist for her so called release will buy hundreds of pounds of explosives that will be used to kill Americans and Iraqi.
I do believe she was ever a hostage. It is my humble opinion that she staged this along with the terrorist to get the money to buy more bombs that will kill more Americans.
The Times says it was $6,000,000.
That's a lot of explosives.
These are the photos that I saw posted here at FR. This is NOT the car the Italians were in. In fact, I don't think the two photos are even of the same car. (Compare the rear seat passenger side windows.) Also, it was widely reported that the engine block was fired into & I don't see any evidence of that in the photos.
I hope the truth gets exposed soon and these nasty Communists are seen for what they really are.
I have to ask.
Why the quotes around the word hero?
Already done. I had posted on that thread, so was easy to find the pix. The other thing is that I don't think the military would have the car the Italians were in sitting out in broad daylight. And, I don't see any evidence of blood, guts or brain tissue stuck to the dirty white car, which has pretty obviously not been thru a carwash.
I just spent a little time going through your postings, and I think you're a troll.
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