South Korea to Get War Control over U.S. Troops in 3 years

The times, they are changing, The Pentagon plans to give South Korea wartime operational control over U.S. troops within three years and will keep U.S. troop levels at more than 20,000 over the next several years, defense officials said yesterday. Ok, status quo. Following the latest round of U.S.-South Korea talks July 13 and 14, the Pentagon and South Korean military and ...

Italy: Sgrena Shooting Not Deliberate

The Italian government has conducted its own investigation into the shooting incident that left journalist Giuliana Sgrena wounded and her bodyguard dead. Their stunning conclusion: it was not an assassination attempt by the Americans. Italy: Agent's Shooting Not Deliberate (AP) Italian investigators blamed U.S. military authorities for failing to signal there was a checkpoint ahead on the Baghdad road where American ...

Miscues at Roadblock in Iraq?

The classified version of the 42-page report investigating the Italian roadblock shooting incident that wounded journalist Giuliana Sgrena and killed agent Nicola Calipari was inadvertantly released. National Public Radio says that this version further exhonerates American forces. The Los Angeles Times, meanwhile, says it shows severe problems. Miscues at Roadblock in Iraq (LAT) A U.S. military probe into the fatal ...

Soldiers Cleared in Giuliana Sgrena Shooting

U.S. soldiers have been cleared in the shooting of Italian Giuliana Sgrena and her bodyguard by a joint American-Italian board. GIS CLEARED IN ITALIAN'S DEATH (New York Post) U.S. soldiers reportedly have been cleared of wrongdoing in the shooting of an Italian journalist and an intelligence agent last month in Baghdad. U.S. military officials told NBC News that a joint ...

Sgrena Investigation Led by BG Peter Vangjel

I'll be damned: the investigation into the Sgrena shooting incident is being led by Brigadier General Peter Vangjel who, as a major, was my batallion executive officer during Desert Storm. General Casey mistated his name in his press conference last night: Brigadier General Dave Vangjel will head our investigation. He is the corps artillery commander for the Multinational Corps. ...

Berlusconi: U.S. Given Advance Notice of Sgrena Rescue

U.S. 'knew agent going to airport' (CNN) Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says the intelligence agent shot dead by the U.S. military told them he would be escorting a newly released hostage to the airport -- contrary to U.S. claims. Another Italian attache, who was at the Baghdad airport, also told U.S. military personnel the car carrying agent Nicola Calipari ...

Sgrena’s Car Speeding at 100 MPH

Was Italian Hostage's Car Speeding? (ABC News) A senior U.S. military official tells ABC News he believes the investigation into the fatal shooting of an Italian intelligence officer by U.S. troops in Iraq will ultimately prove the officer's car was traveling in excess of 100 mph. The car, which was carrying a newly released Italian hostage to freedom, came under fire ...

Photos of Giuliana Sgrena’s Car

Rusty Shackleford has several photos, purportedly of the car Giuliana Sgrena was riding in during last Friday's shooting incident. If they are geniune, they provide rather definitive proof that her account of events is a whopping lie.

TCS: The Gray Zone Between War and Peace

My latest article at Tech Central Station, "The Gray Zone Between War and Peace," is up. It's an extended and better organized version of some thoughts on the Sgrena shooting and Iraq checkpoint situations I've discussed over the last couple days here.

Understanding Iraq’s Checkpoints

What Iraq's checkpoints are like (Annia Ciezadlo, CSM) [also at CST] Editor's note: On Friday, an Italian intelligence officer was killed and Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena was wounded as their car approached a US military checkpoint in Baghdad. The US says the car was speeding, despite hand signals, flashing white lights, and warning shots from US forces. Ms. Sgrena says ...