Tuesday, April 08, 2003

Journalists perish, looters flourish and medics despair in the chaotic jigsaw of war

Less than two hours after al-Jazeera's loss a blast hit the high-rise Palestine Hotel. A Reuters reporter, photographer, TV cameraman and TV technician were wounded and taken to hospital. At the US Central Command in Qatar officials tried to find something to say. Eventually General Buford Blount, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, announced that a US tank fired a single round at the hotel in response to small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

It was only after the President and Prime Minister had parted that the row over the strikes on journalists escalated. While there was the good news that two Polish journalists captured by Iraqi forces on Monday had escaped when their captors came under attack, it became clear that two newsmen had died in the attack on the Palestine Hotel.

They were the Reuters cameraman Taras Protsyuk, 35, and a Spanish cameraman, Jose Couso, 37.

The consensus among reporters in the hotel was that - contrary to the claim by US Central Command - there had been no sniper fire from the building. Staff at al-Jazeera complained that they had given Washington specific satellite references for their Baghdad office, and insisted that the direct strike was not just a stray round but a specific attack.

In Brussels, the International Federation of Journalists said five foreign journalists covering the war in Iraq had been killed and at least four others wounded after coming under fire around Baghdad in the past 24 hours.

The federation warned that any deliberate strike against journalists, "are grave and serious violations of international law".

US spokesmen stuck by their version of events, and insisted they were not targeting journalists, Western or Arab.

But when confronted with the contradictory testimony of the press corps, a US military spokesman could only say that events would be investigated.


Someone should tell Bush that Reuters doesn't like it when you blow up their reporters. The whole tone of this article is one of aggravation. Bush really doesn't want to placate Reuters with BS answers, they might start reporting the truth, without any slant, which wouldn't be good for him.

Someone should tell Bush this is getting ready to get ugly.

Kansas @ 7:06 PM