Breaking at 2:05 PM EST: ~~Top U.S. General in Iraq Says He Is Unaware Italians Told U.S. Forces About Convoy's Route
Mar 8, 2005
By Robert Burns
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - The top U.S. general in Iraq said Tuesday he has no indication that Italian officials gave advance notice of the route of a vehicle U.S. soldiers fired on last Friday, killing an Italian intelligence officer and wounding a rescued Italian journalist.
"I personally do not have any indication of that, even on a preliminary basis," Army Gen. George Casey told reporters at the Pentagon. He stressed that another officer, Brig. Gen. Peter Vangjel, is heading the investigation, which is expected to be carried out jointly with Italian officials.
Casey, who was in Washington for meetings at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill, said the investigation could be completed in three to four weeks.
One of the key unanswered questions is what, if anything, the Italians told the Americans beforehand about the convoy's movement to Baghdad International Airport.
Casey said he is not personally familiar with all the details of what may have led to the shooting. When asked if he would expect to be told if there were indications the Italians had informed U.S. forces in advance of the convoy's route, he replied, "I would hope so."
Italian intelligence officer Nicola Calipari was killed Friday when U.S. troops at a checkpoint fired at the car carrying him and freed Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena to the airport after Sgrena's release from a month in captivity.
Casey declined to say what kind of charges might be brought against any U.S. troops involved.
"We are working closely with the Italians on their participation in the investigation," Casey said.
At another point, in response to questions about whether he had known the Italians were negotiating for Sgrena's release, Casey said, "I don't have any information about the Italians coming in here to do something with respect to the hostage."
In a statement released last Friday after the shooting, the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, which controls Baghdad, said the vehicle was "traveling at high speeds" and "refused to stop at a checkpoint."
A U.S. patrol "attempted to warn the driver to stop by hand and arm signals, flashing white lights, and firing warning shots in front of the car," it said. "When the driver didn't stop, the soldiers shot into the engine block which stopped the vehicle, killing one and wounding two others."
Italian officials have disputed the U.S. assertion that the vehicle was traveling quickly, and they have challenged other aspects of the official U.S. explanation of what happened.
Casey also said he was concerned by the fact that in addition to the killing of the Italian intelligence officer, a Bulgarian soldier slain last week in Iraq also may have been hit by U.S. gunfire.
"It's another unfortunate incident," he said. "Again, both the Bulgarians and us are looking into exactly what happened up during that period, and we'll get to the bottom of it."
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On the Net:
Defense Department: dod.gov
AP-ES-03-08-05 1406EST
This story can be found at: ap.tbo.com |
