At first the staff of Die Zeit was jubilant about the release of Giuliana Sgrena from her month-long captivity by Iraqi insurgents:
Mit großer Freude haben Redaktion und Verlag der ZEIT von der
Freilassung Giuliana Sgrenas erfahren, dass Giuliana Sgrena wieder frei
ist. Vier Wochen lang war die ZEIT-Mitarbeiterin und Korrespondentin
der italienischen Tageszeitung Il Manifesto in der Hand ihrer
Entführer. Wir sind überglücklich, dass ihre Geiselnahme heute ein
gutes Ende gefunden hat.
Moments later joy turned into shock when it was learned that US troops shot at the vehicle transporting her to saftey at Baghdad Airport, wounding Sgrena and killing the Italian Secret Service Agent who shielded her with his body.
As Juan Cole points out in his blog, this is an everyday occurance in Iraq. US troops have killed far more innocent Iraqi citizens at such check points than the insurgents have – it’s just that no one cares about these "martyrs for freedom". In any event, the circumstances surrounding this tragedy are being investigated. I understand that Sgrena, back in Rome, has disputed the official US version of the event – that her car was "speeding towards the checkpoint" and failed to heed warning shots. Der Spiegel is reporting that the inexperience of the US troops at the checkpoint may have played a role. Bush’s ally in the Iraq invasion, Prime Minister Berlusconi, was visibly upset by the incident and has demanded a complete investigation:"Someone will have to take responsibility," the prime minister said. But as Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, leader of the Italian Green Party stated, Sgrena and her rescuers were simply victims of "an absurd war" , and we know who bears full responsiblity for that.
