Italian ex-hostage suggests she may have been US target

[dpbrown]

Italian ex-hostage suggests she may have been US target
Sun Mar 6, 7:10 AM ET

ROME (AFP) - The Italian journalist wounded by US troops shortly after her month-long kidnap ordeal ended this weekend, fanned a growing diplomatic rift between Rome and Washington by suggesting the US soldiers deliberately tried to kill her.

Giuliana Sgrena, wounded when the convoy taking her to safety was riddled with bullets by a US patrol near Baghdad airport on Friday, said she may have been a target because the US opposed negotiations with her kidnappers.

"Everyone knows that the Americans don't want hostages to be freed by negotiations, and for that reason, I don't see why I should rule out that I was their target," Sgrena told Sky Italia news channel on Sunday.

The comment comes amid fears that Friday's incident, in which Italy's top intelligence officer in Iraq (news - web sites) was killed, could lead to a full-scale diplomatic rift between the two allies.

"The incident could have very serious political consequences," Italy's La Stampa daily said in a front page editorial.

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/italyiraqhostage

[Gyre]

1. Pesky Un"embedded" reporters!!

Managed to slip thru the Israeli Def. Force style American "no hostile reporters left alive" policy. Good for her!

Gyre

[TacticalPeek]

2. I wondered where the original post of this in LBN had gone.

I understand the desire to minimize similar threads, but it seems like this could have at least been combined with the other recent article.

Thanks for reposting.