Update on Giuliana Sgrena

Background

“The car kept on the road, going under an underpass full of puddles and almost losing control to avoid them. We all incredibly laughed. It was liberating. Losing control of the car in a street full of water in Baghdad and maybe wind up in a bad car accident after all I had been through would really be a tale I would not be able to tell. Nicola Calipari sat next to me. The driver twice called the embassy and in Italy that we were heading towards the airport that I knew was heavily patrolled by U.S. troops. They told me that we were less than a kilometer away…when…I only remember fire. At that point, a rain of fire and bullets hit us, shutting up forever the cheerful voices of a few minutes earlier.”

Note the “driver twice called the embassy” and Sgrena’s description of the road as one “heavily patrolled by U.S. troops,” negating the probability of a resistance attack. As for the calls to the embassy, these were obviously monitored by the U.S. military as it can be assumed all calls, especially from cells phones, are monitored in Iraq.

Meanwhile, ABC News, referring to Sgrena as a “left-wing journalist” —and yet William Kristol is never called a “right-wing journalist” when he writes for the “conservative” Weekly Standard—concentrated on the ransom component of Sgrena’s release. “The fact that the Americans don’t want negotiations to free the hostages is known,” Sgrena told Sky TG24 television. “The fact that they do everything to prevent the adoption of this practice to save the lives of people held hostage, everybody knows that. So I don’t see why I should rule out that I could have been the target.”

[...]

As well, ABC News gave wide play to the Bushcon version of events. “As you know, in a situation where there is a live combat zone, particularly this road to the airport, has been a notorious area for car bombs, that people are making split-second decisions, and it’s critically important that we get the facts before we make judgments,” said White House counselor Dan Bartlett.

Either Bartlett is unaware of Sgrena’s claim her vehicle was traveling on a “privileged road” or he is confident most people are unaware of this—or at least Americans who tune into ABC and Fox News may be unaware of it unless they follow the European media—and thus can brazenly dismiss the Sgrena shooting as an “accident” occurring in a “combat zone” where “split-second decisions” are made, in other words, according to Bartlett, Sgrena fell victim to yahoo soldiers with trigger fingers.

[...]

“An Italian cabinet member urged Sgrena, who writes for a communist newspaper that routinely opposes U.S. policy in Iraq, to be cautious in her accounts [...]"
  Kurt Nimmo article

I must note that a while back I read numerous articles which said that things had deteriorated so badly that even the road to the airport was unsafe. On the other hand, the story about the soldiers trying to wave the car down, or fire warning shots, is unbelievable, because this being an Italian contingent rescuing a journalist hostage, everyone in that car would have known full well the conditions and would have heeded any such warnings.

White House counselor Dan Bartlett said Sunday the shootings were a "horrific accident," saying President Bush called Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi to offer condolences and promise a full investigation.

"As you know, in a situation where there is a live combat zone, particularly this road to the airport, has been a notorious area for car bombs, that people are making split-second decisions, and it's critically important that we get the facts before we make judgments," Bartlett said on CNN's "Late Edition."

The U.S. military has said the car Sgrena was riding in was speeding and Americans used hand and arm signals, flashing white lights and warning shots to get it to stop at the roadblock.

But in an interview with Italian La 7 TV, Sgrena said, "There was no bright light, no signal." She also said the car was traveling at "regular speed."

[...]

Asked whether ransom was paid, Agriculture Minister Giovanni Alemanno said it was "very probable." An Iraqi politician, Younadem Kana, said he had "nonofficial" information that $1 million was paid, Italy's Apcom news agency reported, although that could not be confirmed.
  ABC article

The Italian government paid up to $US6 million ($A7.67 million) for the release of kidnapped journalist Giuliana Sgrena in Iraq, the Milan-based Corriere della Sera reported, citing a senior Iraqi politician.

Italian media also reported Italian state prosecutors had launched a manslaughter investigation into the fatal shooting by US troops of Italian agent Nicola Calipari which occurred as Sgrena was taken to Baghdad airport following her release.

The kidnappers had been loyalists of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, who had increased their ransom demands from an initial $US1 million ($A1.28 million), Younademn Kana, Iraqi MP and ex-member of the former provisional governing council was quoted as saying.

The ransom was handed over by Italian agents to mediators in Abu Dhabi, the newspaper La Repubblica wrote.

The ransom payment could also have led to "misunderstandings" between US troops and the Italian secret service as the US military was strictly against ransom payments, the Turin-based La Stampa said, alluding to the fatal shooting of Calipari.
  Sydney Morning Herald article

Update 12:00 noon:

Just to add to the pot, Juan Cole mentions the possibility that the Italian government did not actually inform the U.S. about their rescue, as they wanted to hide the fact that they have been negotiating hostage releases. He doesn't quote a source - only calls it speculation.