Journalist Killed in Baghdad Hotel Blast

[Professur]

U.S. Army Col. David Perkins, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade, said Iraqis fired rocket-propelled grenades at tanks from in front of the hotel, and the military, scanning the area for observation posts, saw the binocular and fired. The tanks were also taking fire from mortars.

Source:

Ok, the tank gunner should have known the hotel was full of journalists, but apparently someone saw a pair of binoculars, and thought that was the sniper. Easy enough mistake.

Take a drive to a new city and drive around looking for a hotel, when all the signs are written in a foreign language. And that someone keeps shooting at you.

BTW, the gunner hasn't a clue where he is. The commander is the only one with a clear view. Even the driver only has a very limited view. And if the commander was busy looking for targets, he very well could have had no clue as to what building he'd targeted.

 

[ris]

report on the news tongiht was 3 dead in that incident.

 

[Justintime]

The Arabic satellite television network al-Jazeera says its Baghdad office was hit during a U.S. bombing raid, killing Tareq Ayoub, a Jordanian national. On the other side of the capital, two cameramen were killed in an explosion at the Palestine Hotel, which houses most of the foreign journalists in Baghdad.

Got this off an email from a friend so no link

So i guess 2 camera men from the hotel and one at the Bagdad place.

 

[Justintime]

Got this as well..

Two secret agents from Iraq were stopped at JFK airport on their way to Chicago in what the U.S Government is calling the most daring plot to stop propaganda in the U.S. The whole affair is shrouded in secrecy, but leaks by insiders have mentioned the name Gonzo Propaganda, we do not know at this time whether this is a code name or organization in the US

 

[Gato_Solo]

FWIW...US snipers are forbidden the use of silencers in combat. Part of our LOAC (Laws Of Armed Combat). Camoflauge and distance are used. Other countries may, or may not, use silencers. Here is a history of the LOAC...

 

[Gonz]

True, but no ones firing at the journalists, so i don't see how that makes any sense here Gato.

It makes perfect sense. Plant a sniper is the one place that's predominately NON-Western journalists. Have him fire until the Americans do what they are trained to do, return fire. It looks great on AL Jazeera. saddam knows damn well he can't win this war so he's now trying to wim the PR battle. His MoI isn't talking for Iraq, they have no power & no TV, he's not talking for the west, we know the truth. He's talking to keep the muslim world enraged.

 

[Inkara1]

As a journalist, I hate to see it when one of my fellow journalists dies. That said, why do journalists always get so much more news coverage when they die than anyone else? That's basically saying that journalists are more important than anyone else.

 

[ris]

i thought saddam expelled al jazeera from iraq? perhaps it was just their operating hq

 

[PT]

They expelled themselves, or reported that they had anyway. Perhaps they had a change of heart.

 

[Ardsgaine]

The Iraqis had banned one of their reporters, so they were going to pull all their people out of Baghdad. I'm not sure how it was reconciled.

 

[Gonz]

As a journalist, I hate to see it when one of my fellow journalists dies. That said, why do journalists always get so much more news coverage when they die than anyone else? That's basically saying that journalists are more important than anyone else.

Soldiers are dying:"that's sad but they get paid to fight",

civilians are dying:"What a tragedy...what were the soldiers thinking?"

press dying: "Hey WE'RE here, STOP FIRING"

 

[Gonz]

Gonzo Propaganda

Ciar Byrne
Tuesday April 8, 2003


Palestine Hotel: two journalists died after today's attack

The BBC's defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan has cast doubt on whether the missile that killed two journalists in Baghdad today was fired by a US tank, speculating that Iraqi soldiers may have launched the lethal attack.
The US military has admitted one of its tanks fired on the Palestine Hotel, the centre for most of the foreign media in the Iraqi capital.

However, Gilligan said reports from central command in Qatar were starting to suggest US tank fire was not responsible for the deaths of Reuters cameraman Taras Protsyuk and Jose Couso, a cameraman with the Spanish TV network Telecinco.

Guardian