"In March, U.S. troops in Iraq shot to death Italian intelligence agent Nicola Calipari, who was travelling in a car that refused to slow down for a coalition checkpoint."
In March, U.S. troops in Iraq shot to death Italian intelligence agent Nicola Calipari, who was travelling in a car that - according to US troops - refused to slow down for a coalition checkpoint.
Are you fucking kidding me? Insightful my ass. And what happened according to non-US sources?
RTFA. These Italian guys were obviously inexperienced for that kind of undertaking (ignorant of "rules of the game"). You don't zoom thru an armed checkpoint in Iraq.
According to the Italian version of the event, they weren't speeding through the checkpoint, nor were they given any warning that there was a checkpoint up ahead (no lights, signs, or soldiers waving them down).
If they had satellite photos of that vehicle, you KNOW that vehicle was under constant surveillance and electronic monitoring of the cell phone usage in the vehicle.
That car was on a secure road with permission from the US and the Italian commander was in contact with the US command. The only thing the US didn't know (supposedly and I doubt that was true) was that it was Sgrena in the car.
The hell?
They have satellite photos of the area. It's one of the things that make the road secure. You don't exactly have a satellite follow a single car. They do monitor certain areas, such as the one that that car was going through.
The other thing that makes the road secure are checkpoints. Ones that you should expect to encounter.
Your knee-jerk responces are indicative of groupthink, and nothing more.
First of all, the US is happy to whip out satellite photos to "prove" it's case. But not to bother monitoring an important diplomatic vehicle. Right.
Second, the people involved HAD ALREADY PASSED SEVERAL CHECKPOINTS. They THOUGHT THEY WERE SAFE just minutes from the airport. They did not expect to be fired on WITHOUT WARNING. (Claims about lights and lasers are so much horseshit from the US military - either that or they were done so stupidly that no vehicle could expect to see them. )
And more importa
"Nature is very un-American. Nature never hurries."
-- William George Jordan
Correction (Score:0, Flamebait)
Further correction (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Further correction (Score:0, Insightful)
And what happened according to non-US sources?
RTFA. These Italian guys were obviously inexperienced for that kind of undertaking (ignorant of "rules of the game").
You don't zoom thru an armed checkpoint in Iraq.
Re:Further correction (Score:5, Informative)
According to the Italian version of the event, they weren't speeding through the checkpoint, nor were they given any warning that there was a checkpoint up ahead (no lights, signs, or soldiers waving them down).
Re:Further correction (Score:2)
Re:Further correction (Score:2)
Fake satellite photos say otherwise.
If they had satellite photos of that vehicle, you KNOW that vehicle was under constant surveillance and electronic monitoring of the cell phone usage in the vehicle.
That car was on a secure road with permission from the US and the Italian commander was in contact with the US command. The only thing the US didn't know (supposedly and I doubt that was true) was that it was Sgrena in the car.
Re:Further correction (Score:1)
Re:Further correction (Score:2)
First of all, the US is happy to whip out satellite photos to "prove" it's case. But not to bother monitoring an important diplomatic vehicle. Right.
Second, the people involved HAD ALREADY PASSED SEVERAL CHECKPOINTS. They THOUGHT THEY WERE SAFE just minutes from the airport. They did not expect to be fired on WITHOUT WARNING. (Claims about lights and lasers are so much horseshit from the US military - either that or they were done so stupidly that no vehicle could expect to see them. )
And more importa