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Here's what Nightline's daily email said:
Nightline Daily E-Mail
November 24, 2003
TONIGHT'S FOCUS: Amid all of the reports on attacks on American soldiers, the one from Mosul yesterday was especially disturbing. Two soldiers were reported to have been shot, and then eyewitnesses said a crowd mutilated the bodies. Now the Army says that's not true. What did happen out there?
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Why does it matter? In the constant flow of casualty reports, ambushes, bombs, helicopters shot down, why would this stand out? The answer, of course, is obvious. We can accept combat deaths. That's part of war. But there is something horrible about the idea of a crowd mutilating the bodies of the dead. In the midst of warfare, there are things that are more troubling, and that's one of them. And I think what is the most disturbing is the idea that people could, and would, do such a thing. What would drive someone, or a crowd, to attack the bodies of the dead?
The most immediate image that comes to mind was the horrific footage from Somalia some years ago of the bodies of American soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. The events of that day, and those images in particular, played a major role in the U.S. decision to leave. Now there are no similar pictures from Mosul this time. But it is that image, even if it is only in the minds of people, and that can sometimes be worse, that would be so damaging. So now we come down to the most basic question. Is it true? The military now says that nothing like that happened, that the soldiers were shot, but their bodies were not harmed. So what did happen? We'll try to find out. At the same time, Deb Amos will look at how the plans for Iraq, and its new government, have been changing to try to keep up with changing conditions on the ground. And finally, we'll run a piece done by our colleagues at the BBC. They followed an American patrol that comes under attack. We constantly hear and read about American soldiers being attacked by RPG's, rocket propelled grenades. If you ever wondered what that is really like, this report will show you.
Chris Bury will anchor tonight, and the way things seem to be going these days, I'm sure that we'll have to change this plan as the day goes on. I hope you'll join us.
Leroy Sievers and the Nightline Staff
ABCNEWS Washington bureau
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