Convoy evacuating Russian ambassador from Baghdad comes under attack

Agence France-Presse | April 6, 2003

[HAL9000]

MOSCOW (AFP) - Several Russians were injured Sunday when the convoy evacuating the Russian ambassador to Iraq out of Baghdad came under fire, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

A Jordan-based diplomat, quoting Russian sources, told AFP in Amman that ambassador Vladimir Titorenko was injured in the attack.

"The car convoy with members of the Russian embassy in Iraq, including the ambassador, came under attack leaving Baghdad in the direction of the Syrian border," the Russian ministry spokesman told AFP.

He said officials did not yet know whether the convoy came under attack from Iraqi or US-led coalition forces.

The Russian foreign ministry summoned the US and Iraqi ambassadors to Moscow "urgently and in a harsh way", the spokesman said, adding that it demanded "they take all possible measures to ensure the security of Russian citizens."

President Vladimir Putin has been informed of the incident, his spokesman Boris Gromov said.

The US Central Command in Qatar said it was looking into reports that its troops were the ones who attacked the Russian diplomatic convoy.

Titorenko left Baghdad for Damascus early Sunday as US troops advanced on the Iraqi capital. He was due to fly to Moscow later Sunday.

A witness told Interfax news agency from Baghdad that around 25 people -- mostly Russian journalists -- were driving in the convoy, which he said came under attack twice.

"In Baghdad, everything went calmly. When we left the city, we saw that there was fighting up ahead, so we decided to turn around and eight kilometers from Baghdad, we came under fire. Several people were injured," the witness told Interfax.

"We bandaged the wounded, left a car behind and kept going. But then around 15 kilometers from Baghdad we came upon a jeep convoy," he said.

"We stopped so as not to provoke them and we sent a car ahead with a flag to show who we were, but then we came under fire again," he told Interfax.

"Two more people were hurt -- thank God no one was killed.

"Then the jeeps left, we got on to the main road and now the main thing is to get to a hospital," he added.

Russia, one of the most fervent opponents to the US-led war, had kept its Baghdad embassy operational with a skeleton staff after withdrawing all non-essential personnel in the days leading up to the start of the bombing campaign on March 20.

Russia protested loudly last week when the building was nearly hit by US bombs.

[TLBSHOW]

bookmarked

[HAL9000]

US says Iraq controls area of alleged Russian convoy shooting

AS SALIYAH, Qatar (AFP) - US Central Command said here Sunday that an alleged shooting on a Russian diplomatic convoy took place on territory controlled by Iraq and that no US-led coalition forces were in the area.

"Based on the reported location, the incident is believed to have taken place in territory controlled by the Iraqi regime," a statement said, adding that "initial reports" showed no presence of US-led coalition forces nearby.

[Scoop]

With all due respect to the recently deceased, what kind of idiot Ambassador stuck around in Baghdad until now? Are there diplomats on this planet who thought for a second Iraq would win this war? Did they not understand that once an American President says we're going to Baghdad, we're going to Baghdad?!?

[michaelt]

Fox just reported that Centcom says we didn't do it.

[Cicero]

Either a) he should have left earlier; or b) he should have picked up the phone and told the Americans when and where he was coming out.

People who deliberately put themselves into the middle of a war have to understand that it's risky, and that the combatants on both sides have higher priorities than their convenience.

[Tailback]

I hope that there's a checkpoint somewhere that can verify that there's only Russians in this convoy. I wouldn't be surprised if high level Iraqi's are being spirited out by these guys. The attack claim might be a ploy to get us to be "hands off" with this group.

[Enemy Of The State]

A case of poetic justice?

Bawahahahahahahaha

[Lexington Green]

Iraqis shoot Russians in friendly-fire incident. I'm saddened.

[MrPeanut]

Maybe the Russian Convoy had important Iraqis with them and we did'nt want them to get out.

[KeyLargo]

I just hope that it was Russian munitions that got him!

[vigilante2]

hit them again!

[koba37]

It had to be the Iraqis who fired up this convoy - even Vladimir Zhironovsky (radical nationalist -I'm being kind) said that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was at fault for waiting so long to leave and without safe passage garaunteed. Zhironovsky is a huge Iraqi fan (visits all the time) and if there was any evidence or inkling that we hit the column he'd be screaming bloody murder.

[templar]

With all due respect to the recently deceased, what kind of idiot Ambassador stuck around in Baghdad until now?

One who had (note the past tense) much faith in Russian weapons and strategy.

[TLBSHOW]

one that was Americas enemy which as this war unfolds we will wake up from the deep sleep and see that all of communist Russia is still our enemy!

[Enterprise]

"Convoy evacuating Russian ambassador from Baghdad comes under attack"

Schitski happenskis

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

"Maybe the Russian Convoy had important Iraqis with them and we did'nt want them to get out."

That exact thought ocurred to me when I heard about this- but killing the Russian Ambassador would be a terrific breach of diplomatic norms, and I'm not at all sure that ANYONE in authority would sanction this. (Nations have gone to war over this kind of thing). So it was probably an Iraqi attack.

[Leo Carpathian]

Hey, Russian generals advised Iraqis how to win, their polls indicated that Iraq will win, Iraqi media proclaiming victory, so why not to stay? Durakis! (Durak = Russian for fool)

I guess they got the message when they saw Amerikansky tanks outside the windows :-)

[MrPeanut]

I agree it would be a bad breach. That is why we blamed it on the Iraqis. Let the Russians prove otherwise.

[Mr. Mojo]

I'm not saying this didn't happen, but I've noticed that the Agence France-Presse has been a consistent source of misinfo.