Pixelated Semantics

The unfortunate adjuncts to a precision shooting

Waleed Khaled, the Reuter's Iraqi sound recordist shot by an American sniper reportedly leaves a pregnant partner and young child. "His US military and Reuters press cards, clipped to his shirt, were caked in blood. In one, there were two bullet holes." Reuters said. And as his tearful relatives inspected the body at the scene, with a fresh military body bag in hand, a US soldier told them: 'Don't bother. It's not worth it'. The Iraqi cameraman (and only known witness) accompanying the victim is still being held incommunicado by U.S. forces after being wounded in the incident. Two of Waleed's colleagues who arrived at the scene minutes after he was killed, said Khaled was still alive when they reached him, and that US troops refused to give him water despite the blazing sun.

The US Ambassador said the incident was "an unfortunate adjunct that goes along with military operations". What is 'accidental' about two bullet holes through the ID cards pinned to his chest?

More journalists have been killed in Iraq since 2003 than during the 20 years of conflict in Vietnam. Another Reuters' cameraman, Ali al-Mashhadani, was arrested by U.S. forces three weeks ago and is being held without charge in Abu Ghraib prison.

Item posted by AutoEditor at 11:07 am ::