This is just a scene from hell/Transcript: N.Iraq friendly fire; "Shut up. I'm broadcasting!.."

BBC ^ | Sunday, 6 April, 2003, 09:50 GMT 10:50 UK | John Simpson

[Int]

This is just a scene from hell'

The BBC's world affairs editor John Simpson has been injured in Northern Iraq in an apparent mistaken attack on a US special forces convoy by one of their own planes.

Moments after the attack, John Simpson broadcast live by satellite telephone on the BBC news channel, News 24.

This is a really bad own goal by the Americans John Simpson "Well it's a bit of a disaster... I was in a convoy of eight or 10 cars in northern Iraq coming up to a place that has just recently been captured. American special forces in a truck - two trucks I think - beside them, plus a very senior figure ..."

Simpson to US soldier: "Shut up. I'm broadcasting! Oh yes, I'm fine - am I bleeding."

US soldier: "Yes, you've got a cut."

Simpson: "I thought you were going to stop me. I think I've just got a bit of shrapnel in the leg, that's all. OK, I will - thanks a lot.

"That was one of the American special forces medics - I thought he was going to try to stop me reporting. I've counted 10 or 12 bodies around us. So there are Americans dead. It was an American plane that dropped the bomb right beside us - I saw it land about 10 feet, 12 feet away I think.

"We were so close to the damage and - it didn't damage us badly at any rate. This is just a scene from hell here. All the vehicles on fire. There are bodies burning around me, there are bodies lying around, there are bits of bodies on the ground. This is a really bad own goal by the Americans.

"We don't really know how many Americans are dead. There is ammunition exploding in fact from some of these cars. A very senior member of the Kurdish Republic's government who also may have been injured."

TV presenter Maxine Mawhinney: "John, just to recap for the viewers, an American plane dropped a bomb on your convoy of American special forces - many dead, many injured?"

Simpson: "I am sorry to be so excitable. I am bleeding through the ear and everything but that is absolutely the case. I saw this American convoy, and they bombed it. They hit their own people - they may have hit this Kurdish figure - very senior, and they've killed a lot of ordinary characters, and I am just looking at the bodies now and it is not a very pretty sight."

[SkyPilot]

He was startled a bit when he yelled "Shut up", but he quickly realized the medic was only trying to help, and then he displayed impeccable British manners and good cheer---admirable I would say considering he just witnessed carnage and death (and he himself was wounded).

He is mistaken about the bomb landing "10 to 12 feet away" though. He would be pink mist now if that was the case. It could have been artillary--just don't know yet.

[dfc62]

i'm wondering whether he means 10-12 feet away from the road the convoy was travelling on, rather than the vehicle he was travelling on.

After all,given he's been wounded , there's bodies around him and (apparently) ammo in the vehicles going off, it's a bit harsh to expect a clear concise and unambigous report from the poor chap.

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

"This really captures the essence of the relationship between soldiers and some of these reporters."

I think it is important to note that this reporter was BBC! BBC is on the wrong side in this war, IMHO!

[Cvengr]

I saw it land about 10 feet, 12 feet away I think"

Must've been a propaganda bomb or an inert dud. The rock and dirt flying from an impact that close would have left that type of collatoral damage. Any HE, even a grenade would have blast effects considerably worse and fragmentation would probably have either vaporized to quartered anybody that close to it.

[alnitak]

Simpson is full of himself, to say the least. He is the guy who claimed to have "liberated" Kabul.

[OldFriend]

BBC on the wrong side of humanity.

[Az Joe]

The way these friendly fire incidents are mounting up shows how aggresive the U. S. is being and THAT, in the long run, may actually save lives!

[sweetliberty]

"The reporter is so anxious to get out the bad news and inflict some pain on the image of the U.S. military that he didn't realize that the same military (represented by the U.S. soldier) is merely trying to take care of him."

Ironic, isn't it? Initially I thought that the embedded reporters might be a good idea. I mean, how can you continue to hate the U.S. when you are right there seeing first hand what is really going on, but the longer this goes on, the more I think we need to pull these people out of there. It seems that not only are some of them actually jeopardizing the troops, but it also seems that some of them are already trying to skew events to reflect their preconceived points of view. This could have very bad implications in the sorting out of events following the war, particularly if any trials are involved. As satisfying as it is to get the reports immediatedly and first hand, for those of us that follow such things particularly, it isn't going to kill us to have to wait a little longer in the interest of letting our troops do their job free from concern with playing to the cameras and with protecting yet another group of antagonistic civilians. I can't help but wonder how many times one of our guys has had the urge to punch one of them in the mouth.

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

You got that right!

[MrFree]

10 to 12 feet? Must have been a leaflet.

[arjay]

I wonder if some of the friendly fire problems at present could be caused by fatigue. Our warriors have been going a long time with very little rest and that has to cloud judgment and affect reactions.

This is a very sad event.

[sweetliberty]

[mtbopfuyn]

"Shut up. I'm broadcasting! Oh yes, I'm fine - am I bleeding." This really captures the essence of the relationship between soldiers and some of these reporters

My take on it too.

[sweetliberty]

[wardaddy]

Is this the same guy trembling and panting a couple of days ago when they were under attack and you could see the grizzled SF guys calling in ARTY/air support in the background while being shelled. They were not flinching a bit (like Duvall in AN) and the reporter was about to come unglued. It was a Hallmark Moment.

He seemed like an excitable boy.

[anguish]

Read somewhere that Brit troops are ordering some many flags that the factories can't keep up. The reason it was said, is that they wanted big and clear signs telling American pilots they were on their side.

[ImpBill]

Interesting responses. I'll go out on a limb here and assume that most resonders have never been in a injury car accident, much less been in a fire fight or been subjected to "in coming".

One of the lighter sides of this war has been the time spent reading the responses from so many of the "key board commando's" that frequent FR with all their war experience and tactical advise.

Keep up the good work, commando's!

[Mister Baredog]

It was an American plane that dropped the bomb right beside us - I saw it land about 10 feet, 12 feet away I think.

I seriously doubt you could SEE the bomb hit 10 or 12 feet away, and live to tell about it, could he be exaggerating just a little?

[CindyDawg]

Initially I thought that the embedded reporters might be a good idea

Well, I thought it was a bad idea but I have changed my mind. We are seeing the reporters true colors. Some foolish, some anti American and some very patriotic. I think Fox chose wisely (most of the time :')). Oliver North doing great. Rick Leventhal(?) impressive too, even though I wondered if he had enlisted. It's "we" this and "we" that and if someone wasn't sitting really close to him yesterday talking, I think it was him calling out to a solider (by name) to "watch out and then yelled don't shoot him, he's surrendering "lol

[arkady_renko]

The bad side of being 'undercover' I would assume is that you are visually targets for our own people. I hope the senior Kurdish official isn't/wasn't supposed to head up part of the new government.

Prayers for all involved.

A_R