'How Sgrena
Forced Italy's
Withdrawal From Iraq'
By Mike Whitney
17 March, 2005
SmirkingChimp.com
The
day after the Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena was nearly killed at
an Iraqi checkpoint; PBS's anchor Margaret Warner revealed a clue on
national TV that has received little or no notice. Warner acknowledged
that the checkpoint where Sgrena was shot was set up just 45 minutes
prior to the arrival of the vehicle.
45 minutes earlier?
Why?
The location of
the checkpoint was equally suspicious. It was placed around a blind
corner just 700 yards from the airport where no roadblock had ever been
placed before.
Why?
Sgrena originally
said that approximately 300 rounds were fired, but only a few well-placed
bullet holes appear on the vehicle.
Why?
The holes found
in the vehicle were not fired into the engine block as stated, nor were
they the random spray of fire that one would expect from a nervous soldier.
Rather the shots look like they must have come from professional assassins
who targeted particular spots on the vehicle to affect the greatest
damage; two bullets to the front tires (to stop the vehicle), two bullets
through the driver's side windshield (to kill the driver) and shots
through the rear window at an angle that would kill the person situated
in the middle of the back seat. (Pictures of the vehicle were available
over the weekend on uruk.net web site) This is not the quality of shooting
one would expect from soldiers manning a roadblock. The checkpoint and
the 300 rounds fired into the air were probably just a necessary diversion
for the professional marksmen who carried out their task from an undisclosed
location. Crazy?
This theory is further
strengthened by Sgrena's comments when the soldiers opened the rear
door and were surprised by the fact that Italian Intelligence agent
Nicola Calipari had been shot.
"Oh, shit!"
one of the soldiers blurted out (according to Sgrena) It's clear that
they didn't realize what had happened, but thought that they had accidentally
hit the car.
The Cover-up
So far, nearly all
of the US military's account has been disproved. The vehicle was not
speeding and the driver was not warned by either "hand and arm
signals" or "flashing white lights." The vehicle was
traveling slowly and stopped immediately at the checkpoint, when the
firing began.
Italian special-agent
Calipari had notified the proper authorities that he was on his way
to the airport; so all of the operative checkpoints must have been notified
according to normal protocol. "However, Italian dailies La Repubblica
and Corriere della Sera reported on Friday that US authorities in Iraq
knew of the presence of Calipari AND A COLLEAGUE but had not been told
that their mission was to free Giuliana Sgrena." (Al Jazeera)
So, why would a
professional like Calipari trying to sneak Sgrena out of the country
without telling the Americans?
The only explanation
is that Calipari believed that Sgrena would be in danger if the military
knew she was planning to leave Iraq. Calipari's behaviour reinforces
the allegations made just weeks earlier by CNN's Eason Jordan that the
US is intentionally targeting journalists. They had a special reason
to silence Sgrena who had first-hand knowledge of war crimes committed
in Falluja.
It's uncertain how
the military determined that Sgrena was travelling with Calipari but
investigative journalist Wayne Madsen notes, "Italian intelligence
officials also believe that the Americans identified the Italian vehicle
because the National Security Agency (NSA) systems had intercepted Calipari's
cell phone and triangulated its specific location."
Once US officials
discovered who was in the car they swung into high-gear and put their
plan into action. It nearly worked, except for the fact that Calipari
leaned over and took the bullet that was intended for Sgrena.
Berlusconi's sudden
change of heart
Yesterday, without
notice, Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi announced that Italy was planning
to draw down its troop levels in Iraq.
Did "Bush loyalist"
Berlusconi discover something about the attack on Sgrena and Calipari
that forced him to take pre-emptive action by ordering an early withdrawal?
We'll have to watch
the news from Italy to see what may have turned the Italian PM against
Bush's war.
Sage Advice
According to Sgrena
the insurgents who kidnapped her had warned her that the military would
try to assassinate her. She thought they were just being "ideological".
As it turns out, their word was quite a bit more reliable than anyone's
at either the Pentagon or the White House.