Freedom at a price
On Friday, the kidnapped Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena was released into the care of secret service agent Nicola Calipari. Minutes later, Calipari was shot dead by US troops. Here she recounts the events of that fateful day
Wednesday March 9, 2005
The Guardian
Last Friday was the most dramatic day of my life. I had been in captivity since February 4, and my kidnappers had begun telling me that I was about to be released. But they had also spoken about things I would only understand the significance of later, about problems "relating to the transfers".
I had learned to glean information about what was going on from the behaviour of my two "guards", the people who kept me prisoner day after day. I noticed that one in particular, who had been very attentive to my wishes, was incredibly cheerful. I asked him why. Was he happy because I was going or because I was staying? "I only know that you're going," he said, "but I don't know when." I was astounded.
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Calipari sat next to me. The driver made two calls, to the Italian embassy and Italy, to let them know that we were heading for the airport, which I knew was heavily patrolled by Americans. The airport was less than a kilometre away when it happened. I can only remember gunfire. A rain of bullets showered down on us, shattering for ever the cheerful voices of a few minutes earlier.
The driver began to shout: "We're Italian, we're Italian ..." Calipari threw himself on top of me to protect me, and immediately - immediately - I felt him breathe his last. I must have felt physical pain, I didn't know why. But then my mind flashed back to things that my kidnappers had said. They said they were fully committed to freeing me, but that I had to be careful "because there are Americans who don't want you to go back". <more>
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1433442,00.htmlalso BBC article:
Checkpoints test US troops' rules
The row over the shooting of Italian hostage Giuliana Sgrena by US soldiers has fuelled a debate over the rules of engagement under which they operate.
The journalist was wounded by US gunfire minutes after being released from her month-long ordeal as a hostage in Iraq.
But the incident, in which a senior Italian secret service agent who had negotiated Ms Sgrena's release was killed, was just the latest in a series.
One of the worst such losses of life came in 18 January this year, when a family of seven was travelling in a car which failed to stop at a US checkpoint in the Iraqi city of Tal Afar.
US troops opened fire, killing both parents and injuring their five children sitting in the back seat.
No-one knows how many civilians have died at US checkpoints in Iraq so far.
Most are innocent people who had nothing to do with the anti-US insurgency.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4328579.stm"So I don't see why I should rule out that I could have been a target."
That is what Giuliana Sgrena is saying. And I agree.