What if Giuliana Sgrena was not the target

[DoYouEverWonder]

of Friday's shooting?

What if it turns out that this was a special operation to take out Nicola Calipari? Apparently, he had successfully negotiated other hostage releases but the US highly disapproved of the Italians willingness to pay ransom.

If this indeed is murder, then the implication are enormous. We are talking about one of Italy's highest level career intelligence officials, assassinated by US Troops. Italy is a Major Coalition Partner. You don't shot your allies on purpose.

While everyone wants to try to justify or deny the gravity of this event, the US is heading toward an international crisis because of it. The official and unofficial US reaction to this event have been appalling. Wake up folks, cause Houston we've got a problem.

[mimitabby]

1. interesting angle!

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. Keep in mind

that when Nicola Calipari arrived at the Baghdad Airport, I am sure he had to go through 'customs'/security and that he would have checked in with the proper authorities.

He then went and rented a car at the airport. So not only do we know he is there and his mission, we also know what make and model car he is driving.

After he picked up Sgrena, it sounds like a lot of people in the party were on cell phones sending out the good news. Sgrena was safe and on her way to the airport. Heck they even had Berlusconi on the phone when the attack happened. Tell me again, the US didn't know who was in that car 700 yards outside of the airport?

Even if this was a 'mistake', the fact that the supposedly best trained and armed military in the world is that out of control, that they are shooting anything that moves, tells us how bad things really are in Iraq.

[rzemanfl]

7. Do they have Hertz and Avis at the Baghdad airport???? n/t

[DoYouEverWonder]

9. More likely Custer Battles

Italy is well aware that its habit of paying large sums to secure the release of its nationals is disapproved of by the Americans and British. All negotiations are therefore carried on in secret. But at Baghdad airport Mr Calipari explained at the US headquarters what his team had come to do. It was arranged that an American colonel would be on hand at the airport when Ms Sgrena arrived for her flight back to Italy. By the time the team had rented a four-wheel drive it was already 5pm.

At 8.20pm, Mr Calipari's team reached the rendezvous on the outskirts of Baghdad. The vehicle they were looking for was there. Ms Sgrena's abductors had left her blindfolded in the back of the car. "I'm a friend of Pier and Gabriele," Mr Calipari said, naming Ms Sgrena's partner and editor. The 57-year-old journalist was a bundle of tension as they got her into their vehicle and left for the airport.

http://news.independent.co.uk/low_res/story.jsp?story=617569&host=3&dir=75

[rzemanfl]

11. The car sure doesn't look like a four wheel drive to me. n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

3. No dirty deed would surprise me. When I heard he was shot in the temple

I had a fleeting thought that he might have been the target.....but could not figure out why. It seemed that it had to have been a sharpshooter who took him out.
Somehow, I feel we will never know the truth about this.

[DoYouEverWonder]

4. My guess

is that someone(s) sprayed the area with automatic weapon fire and the sharp shooter, used the noise and confusion to hit his target, while making it look like another one of those little 'friendly fire' incidents.

[FtWayneBlue]

5. That sounds like the most likely answer.

Anybody want to call for the Bush Regime to resign?

Either that, or we have to impeach them.

[leftofthedial]

6. they outed a top-level CIA operative,

which no doubt resulted in many deaths and compromised a multi-year anti-WMD intelligence operation.

They'd murder their own mothers if there was a nickel in it

[MisterP]

8. and compromised an al-Qaeda computer tapping by arresting

one of the assets in Pakistan

[DoYouEverWonder]

10. Confirmed - Calipari had made "all the necessary contacts" with US

Gianfranco Fini said the US and Italy had different versions of what happened to Nicola Calipari, who died under US fire while escorting a freed hostage.

The US says shots were fired because the vehicle was speeding and did not heed troops' warnings for it to stop.

But Mr Fini said the car was travelling at no more than 40km per hour.

Calipari had also made "all the necessary contacts" with US and Italian officials about the hostage's release and the journey to the airport, he added.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4328551.stm

Looks like Italy is sticking by their original story