ROME (Reuters) - Freed Italian hostage Giuliana Sgrena described on Saturday how U.S. forces sprayed her car with bullets as it neared safety in Iraq, wounding her and killing the man who had secured her release moments earlier.
U.S. forces opened fire as the car carrying Sgrena neared Baghdad airport on Friday after she was released by the militants who had held her captive for more than a month.
..."It wasn't a checkpoint, but a patrol which shot as soon as it had lit us up with a spotlight. We had no idea where the shots were coming from."
This entire episode continues to smell like yesterday's diapers.
I opined last night that this international incident could be a tipping point in the U.S.'s continued occupation of Iraq. It's not going to go over well in the EU, and it's not going to go away easy. If nothing else, this incident is comparable to the Madrid bombing last year, in that it has the very real possibility of influencing the upcoming Italian elections.
Was the incident a "hit"? Speculation is, quite naturally, running rampant. Certainly, the circumstances surrounding the shooting beg a lot of questions.
Eason Jordan was not available for comment.
Update: Francesca's LWC has been tracking various international accounts of this story.
