White House: U.S. didn't target journalist Monday, March 7, 2005 Posted: 11:20 AM EST (1620 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House on Monday said it was "absurd" for a former hostage in Iraq to charge that U.S. military forces may have deliberately targeted her car as she was being rushed to freedom.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said the car carrying Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena was traveling on one of the most dangerous roads in Iraq, to the Baghdad airport, when it was fired upon.

An Italian intelligence officer in the car was shot and killed.

Responding to Sgrena's statement that the car may have been deliberately targeted, McClellan said. "It's absurd to make any such suggestion, that our men and women in uniform would target individual citizens.

"That's just absurd," McClellan repeated.

He said the airport road "has been a place where suicide car bombers have launched attacks. It's been a place where regime elements have fired upon coalition forces. It is a dangerous road, and it is a combat zone that our coalition forces are in. Oftentimes, they have to make split second decisions to protect their own security."

"And we regret this incident," McClellan added. "We are going to fully investigate what exactly occurred."

Bush called Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi last Friday to apologize and to promise a full investigation.

In Rome, hundreds of people packed a church on Monday to pay their last respects to the slain intelligence officer, Nicola Calipari. (Full Story)

Sgrena, the ex-hostage whose life Calipari saved, said it was possible they were targeted deliberately because the United States opposes Italy's policy of negotiating with kidnappers.

is this italian lady crazy :shock:

She's a commie. What did you expect?

Look. Clearly the military had no idea what to do to the car moving full speed ahead directly through a military checkpoint. Italy didn't even tell us that they were coming through, because they kept the money for hostage situation secret.

Well, there was also another italian secret agent in the car, who survived and however, Italians do not seem to accept the official version of the inicdent.

[url]http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1433940,00.html[/url]

i don't think we will ever get the real story.

[quote=fishingnut]i don't think we will ever get the real story.[/quote]

not if that italian journalist was going to be the one writing it.

Re: White House: U.S. didn't target journalist

[list]"Vaffanculo, what are those krazy Amerikan figa's doing!?" - "Cazzo, Stronzo! They are firing at us! Putas! Step on it, faster, we have to get out of this place, mama mia!"

"Cazzo, if we ever get out if this alive I will make those finocchios give me a pompino!!"

[b]....Schwock[/b] "Facking Culos, I've been hit! Tell my mami I love her..."

"Merda in pantalone...Silvio issa not gonna like dis. Porco puttana!" "Andate tutti a 'fanculo!"[/list]

Re: White House: U.S. didn't target journalist

Well, it's not just the journalist here. Italian prime minister, Berlusconi said that the freeing of the hostage was approved by American forces and that the soldiers were aware of secret agent's arrival (and he's not exactly a commie, now is he?)

...and here is the interesting thing:

for the first time in history the Americans (actually, dubbya :wink:) agreed to found a mixed Italian / American commisssion, which will investigate ther incident, which is uasually not the case for incidents connected to American armed forces...