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| 5/25 |
| 2005/3/12 [Science/Space, Politics/Foreign/Europe] UID:36661 Activity:nil |
3/12 Errr... whoops. The Italian general who was supposed to be
keeping the Americans informed of the Sgrena rescue mission, was
never told of the mission.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4341387.stm |
| 5/25 |
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| news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4341387.stm Printable version Sgrena operation 'kept from US' Nicola Calipari Nicola Calipari died protecting freed journalist Giuliana Sgrena US forces might not have known that slain Italian secret agent Nicola Cal ipari was in Iraq to secure a hostage's freedom, Italian papers say. Calipari was killed by US troops' fire while escorting journalist Giulian a Sgrena by car to Baghdad airport. But the press quotes an Italian general who liaised between US forces and Italian intelligence as saying he did not know Calipari was on a rescue bid. His report is now in the hands of Rome prosecutors investigating the kill ing. According to newspaper La Repubblica, Gen Mario Marioli helped the two It alian secret service agents obtain a special badge from the coalition fo rces on their arrival in Baghdad. But Gen Marioli, who is the coalition forces' second-in-command, reported ly was unaware that the officers were on a mission to free Ms Sgrena, an d so the information he passed on to US officials was incomplete. Fatal coincidence Gen Marioli's testimony is crucial because he is the man who was keeping the US forces informed of the car's arrival before the fatal shooting, i n which a US patrol killed the secret service agent and injured Ms Sgren a and a second officer. Gen Marioli's version, as reported by the papers, also contradicts a reco nstruction by the Italian government and Prime Minister Silvio Berluscon i, who said the US military had been advised that Ms Sgrena was on board the car. The US military have said they had no knowledge of the rescue mission. Meanwhile, it has emerged that the US had set up makeshift checkpoints al ong the road to the airport the night of the fatal shooting because the outgoing US ambassador, John Negroponte, was travelling on the same road . Italian media have been speculating that Italy might have deliberately ke pt the mission wrapped in secrecy because the US did not approve of the ongoing negotiations with the kidnappers. The US-led coalition has launched an investigation into the shooting with the participation of Italian officials. The inquiry is led by Gen Peter Vangjel, and is expected to take up to fo ur weeks. |