US claims 'no fault' in 2003 killing of reporters in Iraq

[Barrett808]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Army has acknowledged "no fault or negligence" in the April 2003 attack on a Baghdad hotel that killed two reporters, a rights group said, even though the military knew that hundreds of journalists were based there.

The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders quoted internal US Army reports obtained through the Freedom of Information Act stating that the attack was "clearly a proportionate and justifiable measured response" to what soldiers on the ground thought was an immediate threat.

On April 8, as US forces advanced on Baghdad fighting Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s retreating army, a US Army tank fired on the Palestine Hotel, where hundreds of reporters from around the world were staying.

The attack killed Jose Couso from Spain's Telecinco television network and Ukranian Taras Protsyuk, working for the Reuters news agency. Three other reporters were wounded.

The final US Army report on the incident focused on the tank crew that fired the round and its immediate commanders, but did not address why top military brass -- which had been informed that there were reporters at the hotel -- did not pass the information down the chain of command.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/afp/20041117/wl_mideast_afp/us_iraq_media_spain_ukraine

[mike_c]

1. well gee-- the military investigates itself again and surprise!

It's not at fault for killing civilians. I'm shocked.

[MSgt213]

5. Why not their misleader in chief has shown them the light

[VegasWolf]

2. Gee, you coulda knocked me over with a feather.

[maddezmom]

3. * and his mis-administration never "take responsibility" for anything

[acmavm]

4. You'd think this would strike some kind of a nerve with journalists. Oops

what was I thinking? Well, maybe they can be targets some day too if they're in the wrong place and someone with a howitzer (or whatever) feels threatened.

Just wish that we could nominate who we'd like to send to a war zone. We could buy O'Reilly a big batch of falafels and Limbaugh a pharmacy full of Oxy and send them to Iraq.