Reuters soundman killed in Baghdad, police blame US (witness held by US)

[Barrett808]

Reuters soundman killed in Baghdad,police blame US
28 Aug 2005 15:14:19 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Alastair Macdonald

BAGHDAD, Aug 28 (Reuters) - A Reuters Television soundman was shot dead in Baghdad on Sunday and a cameraman with him was wounded and then detained by U.S. soldiers.

Iraqi police said they had been shot by U.S. forces. A U.S. military spokesman said the incident was being investigated.

Waleed Khaled, 35, was hit by a shot to the face and at least four to the chest as he drove to check a report from police sources of an incident involving police and gunmen in the Hay al-Adil district, in the west of the city.

"A team from Reuters news agency was on assignment to cover the killing of two policemen in Hay al-Adil; U.S. forces opened fire on the team from Reuters and killed Waleed Khaled, who was shot in the head, and wounded Haider Kadhem," an Interior Ministry official quoted the police incident report as saying.

"I heard shooting, looked up and saw an American sniper on the roof of the shopping centre," cameraman Kadhem, who was wounded in the back, told colleagues who arrived at the scene.

The only known eyewitness, he was later detained by U.S. troops and was still in custody six hours later despite Reuters' requests that he be freed to receive medical attention. His precise whereabouts were not clear.

(more)

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAC845853.htm

[barbaraann]

1. Hey, MSM "journalists!"

You're dogmeat to the GOP. They were fattening you up for the kill at that private dinner in Crawford last week, you greedy fools. Have you ever heard of a feed lot?

[goforit]

36. Isn't this the truth. So why, may I ask, do they choose to support them,

if they know they will be slaughtered by them anyway.

Ya play with the Devil and ya will be burned.

[tblue37]

38. Nah--

As long as the "journalists" are white and look American, they're not in too much danger. Any Iraqi (or anyone who looks even vaguely MidEastern), however, is seen as fair game.

[pfitz59]

2. No witnesses....

No story.

[Lorenzo]

3. This is normal

All journalists who do their duty (that is: non-American journalists) and go out of the Green Zone will be shot by US troops.

If you are an "American journalist" (a contradictio in terminis), the best thing to do is to sit in the Baghdad Hilton all day, watch FOXNews, and call CNN to report about what you saw on FOXNews, live from Baghdad.

[genieroze]

6. lol

[Eloriel]

4. Man, how many does this make?

Journalists that have died in Iraq, many of which have been killed or suspected to have been killed by the U.S.? BIG number. Probably much bigger than any other war or conflict, including WW2.

[maddezmom]

5. saying prayers for him

US military has a bad track record with reporters any way, but Reuters seems to be one of the biggest outfits targeted.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Support the troops!

The Germans did, as did the Japanese!

:puke:

[still_one]

8. it is NOT a coincidence that more journalist have been killed in this war

[Barrett808]

9. "Soldiers joked among themselves just a few feet from the body."

Why does Reuters hate freedom?

[Up2Late]

10. Well, that make about 54 dead Journalist by my count

Here's a fairly complete list.

<http://icasualties.org/oif/journalist.aspx>

[Barrett808]

11. Luke Baker in Baghdad says "More than 50"

An appointment in Samarra (Luke Baker in Baghdad: horror worsens)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=151133&mesg_id=151133

[Judi Lynn]

12. Apparently they should have been doing a story on "all the good things"

_Bush is doing for Iraq.

_Bush's intentions seem to be he wants to destroy ALL information which doesn't support him completely, no matter what the cost.

[Just Me]

13. Holy toledo!!! They are holding him without medical attention?!?!

:wtf:

[Roland99]

14. The only eyewitness still in custody (so they can scare him to death)

[Barrett808]

15. Remember: US military is still holding a Reuters cameraman

Reuters calls for release of Iraqi cameraman
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1723300

---

Reuters Wants Answers About Detained Photographer
Wed, 24 Aug 2005 23:11:08 GMT
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/newswire/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001021106


Reuters says the U.S. military has detained one of its freelance photographers without explanation in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison.

---

US rejects media concerns about Iraq detentions
Thu, 25 Aug 2005 19:58:08 GMT
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050825/wl_nm/iraq_reuters_dc

The U.S. military rejected on Thursday concerns aired by Reuters and other media organizations in Iraq about its detention of journalists, saying it would not consider the special nature of their work in reporting conflict.

[maddezmom]

16. I've not forgotten

but looks like MSM has a short memory.

[Cha]

20. FUCK

bush and his Filthy dirty little WARONIRAQ!~

[Sunkiss BlueStar]

17. We're making Progress

:sarcasm:

[Peace Patriot]

18. The journalists' organizations should have done more by way of protest

when the U.S. military turned that tank toward the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, at the beginning, and shot off a corner of it--killing Reuters reporters then, too-- with numerous journalists and cameras on hotel balconies. Everybody knew that that was the journalists' hotel. It's out of control now.

I imagine they wanted to keep a lid on it, and not be in open warfare with the U.S. military--looking to the best ways to protect journalists. What a dilemma! But it reminds me of U.S. election 2000, and the Democratic Party's buckling under the egregious violations of the Voting Rights Act that occurred in Florida, and the Supreme Court ruling, and not screaming bloody murder about the Bush Cartel's illegitimacy from that point to the present. What happened as a result? The Bush Cartel did it again, in Ohio! And much more. They got their buddies at Diebold and ES&S in control of the vote tabulation with secret, proprietary programming code--code so secret that not even our secretaries of state are permitted to review it! This did not happen without some bipartisan corruption at the state/local election officials level (and other levels) on the new billion dollar industry in election theft machines. But still, you wouldn't think that something THAT outrageous could happen in America!

Give these criminals an inch, and they take a mile. I think we may be looking at a total lockdown on the news from Iraq, as the Cartel consolidates its 15 permanent military bases there (some the size of small cities). That's their launching pad for Iran. Things are going to get much more dangerous for journalists, not less. This is very bad. And that they're holding the cameraman at Abu Ghraib is very, very bad. What conceivable justification could they have for doing that? Is it a crime to hold a camera in Baghdad?

[Barrett808]

19. More journalists have been killed in Iraq than were killed in Vietnam

More journalists have been killed in Iraq than were killed in Vietnam
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1733479

[Cocoa]

21. the journalists who are visiting Judith Miller in jail

Tom Brokaw, et al...

Will they say anything about Haider Kadhem?

Then again, what did Haider Kadhem ever do for Karl Rove.

[daleo]

24. Judith Miller was instrumental in Haider Kadhem's death

No planted curveball stories, maybe no war.

[Rex]

22. Constitution, sponstitution

Stealing money is so easy for the BFEE! Lawless lands of death.

[wli]

23. ah, BFEE orders to silence all the witnesses too

Very much mafia-style.

[Barrett808]

25. US sniper kills Reuters soundman in Iraq ("We don't target civilians")

BAGHDAD (AFP) - US forces in Baghdad shot dead a Reuters television soundman and wounded a cameraman, Iraqi police said.

"American soldiers opened fire on the team, killing the soundman and wounding the cameraman before detaining him," the police said.

The crew had arrived at the scene of an earlier rebel attack on an Iraqi police convoy in al-Adel district, west of Baghdad, which killed two and wounded one, police said.

US ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad said the incident was unfortunate but stopped short of apologising.

"This is unfortunate... but sometimes mistakes are made. We don't target civilians," he said when questioned by reporters covering the finalisation of Iraq's first post-

Saddam Hussein constitution.

"Military operations unfortunately are not a perfect science... Sometimes mistakes happen, and when they are made we investigate," he added.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050828/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestmedialead

[VegasWolf]

26. Pirate's credo. "Dead men tell no tales!!!" nt

[Conservativesux]

27. US sniper kills TV soundman

US sniper kills TV soundman

08/28/2005

Baghdad - US forces in Baghdad on Sunday shot dead a Reuters television soundman and wounded a cameraman, Iraqi police said.

"American soldiers opened fire on the team, killing the soundman and wounding the cameraman before detaining him," the police said.

The crew had arrived at the scene of an earlier rebel attack on an Iraqi police convoy in al-Adel district, west of Baghdad, which killed two and wounded one, police said.

Reuters said 35-year-old Waleed Khaled was shot in the face and took at least four bullets to the chest, while cameraman Haidar Kadhem was wounded in the back.

More:
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,,2-10-1460_1761161,00.html

[LiberalVoice]

28. I wonder how you mistake a soundman...

for an insurgent for long enough to shoot him once in the face and at least 4 bullets in the chest?

[Fovea]

29. He must have been carrying

an Improvised Foley Device.

[bpilgrim]

30. years of practice

:shrug:

peace

[Conservativesux]

32. Story from the troops: Shoot first and dont ask any questions.

[Robeson]

31. But, but, he died for our Freedoms....

...surely his family can appreciate that?...

[Ready4Change]

33. NOT Sniper.

5 bullets? 4 in the chest? That's not the act of a sniper, and reporting it that way is at least mistaken, or is more likely just an attempt at sensationalization.

Instead, it sounds like a squad opened up on this vehicle. 5 shots to the driver sounds like automatic weapons fire. (Machine guns of some sort.)

If the soundman was driving, he probably wasn't acting as a soundman at the time. At that point, he's just a guy driving a vehicle, and in Iraq, that could be a rolling bomb.

Why was the vehicle shot? Was it near a check point? In a security zone? Near a base? Was the vehicle operated in a fashion that seemed threatening? Was it just rolling down a road calmly? Was the vehicle broadcasting? (Many roadside bombs are apparently being set off by radio controls.)

I don't know the real story here, and this article does little to help.

[okieinpain]

34. I wonder how the tape in his camera is doing.

[mogster]

35. Here's a picture of the car he was driving

From Norw. broadcasting.



Here's the man (on the left).

[Old Vet]

39. I count 18 bullit holes, And notice the hole in the door ..............

isw going out, This car was fired on from 3 sides!

[Blue_Tires]

40. shades of that italian journalist

that was shot at while passing a checkpoint

[Barrett808]

37. Reuters demands release of wounded Iraq journalist

Reuters demands release of wounded Iraq journalist
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1735066

[jarab]

41. kick

...O...

[Jokinomx]

42. Reuters cameraman still detained after Iraq shooting

This was the first that I had heard about this. The reporter that wasn't killed, is being detained without any charges against him, nor is he being allowed talk to an attorney. It sure looks like a repeat of an earlier story of a sniper killing a Reuters reporter. They still haven't received a satisfactory answer from our military on that one....this time however there is a survivor. Are we just indiscriminately shooting anything that moves over there? So long as its of Middle Eastern descent, apparently we do. It really makes you wonder how many innocent civilians are picked off by snipers and nobody is there to hold our military accountable for it.

>snip<

U.S. officers said they were continuing to question Haider Kadhem, 24, about "inconsistencies" in his statements after he was taken from the car in which soundman Waleed Khaled was killed by multiple shots while on a news assignment.

>snip<


http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticleSearch.aspx?storyID=222598+30-Aug-2005+RTRS&srch=Reporter+Killed

[soda]

43. get it right!!

U.S. officers said they were continuing to question Haider Kadhem, 24, about "inconsistencies" in his statements after he was taken from the car in which soundman Waleed Khaled was killed by multiple shots while on a news assignment.
he´ll be there until he gets the story right..... ouch

[geckosfeet]

44. WTF ! A little more detail please. What "inconsistencies"? I

wonder if this is a Manchurian Candidate scenario?

[MasonJar]

45. He is undoubtedly a witness to the murder of his co-worker.

Good for Reuters; they need to keep the pressure up or he might mysteriously disappear or never see the light of day again.