... U.S. military disagrees"
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060202.wxshooting02/BNStory/National/(free, no registration required)
This article contains the verbatim description of events given by a Canadian govt employee who was in the car fired on by the US military in the Green Zone in Bagdad. It is very different from the account given by the US military, and dispels various speculation offered in yesterday's thread on the topic. (Emphasis added below)
The Cdn vehicle was NOT speeding or attempting to overtake the US convoy -- if one believes the account given by all of the Canadians present.
After leaving the British embassy, where Canada's diplomats are housed while its new embassy is constructed, "we yielded to an oncoming convoy of five Humvees with gunners on the top," she said.
... "About three to five minutes into the journey, they <the Humvees> turned to enter a forward operating base. So they turned left into a special lane for the forward operating base. ... Like we do every day, we stay at 20 to 25 kilometres an hour and we continue on ... and then all of a sudden we heard what we initially deemed an explosion."
Cdn TV newscasts provided diagrams showing these movements (see the CBC video link below) -- the US convoy PULLED OFF THE ROAD into a "checkpoint". The Cdn car continued along the road.
Apparently the US military regards this as "overtaking" and expects all traffic to stop when its vehicles pull off the road -- or signals traffic to stop.
"From what I know, if the hand signals had been seen -- and I'm not saying the Americans didn't give them -- they would have been followed," said a Canadian embassy spokeswoman in Jordan.
"The Canadian ambassador's vehicle sustained damage from U.S. military gunfire yesterday afternoon in Baghdad, when it attempted to pass a U.S. military convoy after ignoring signals to stop," is the official version of events released by U.S. military in the Iraqi capital. "The U.S. convoy vehicle defended itself by firing a three-round rifle burst."
The shots were initially described by the US military as "warning shots". The first shot is described by a Canadian in the car as hitting the hood, going through the windshield -- which the Globe reports had "a Maple Leaf flag plastered to" it, and barely missing a passenger.
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/02/01/diplomats060201.html-- link to video of news report at bottom of page, "U.S. fired on Canadian diplomats without warning, envoy says". See Donald Rumsfeld saying ""I wasn't there. I, obviously, don't know" ... "It's being investigated, and we'll see." Either CTV
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060201/canada_iraq_060201/20060201?hub=TopStories(video not available on line) or CBC used a word like "dismissive" to describe his demeanour.
Apparently a member of the US military on the scene apologized immediately; no doubt he'll be reprimanded, as we Canadians once again wait ("friendly fire" aerial bombing of Canadians in Afghanistan, anyone?) for anyone who actually matters to apologize.
Al Jazeera's got the story:
http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=10521(found through Google News)
Stars & Stripes sure doesn't have much to say today:
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=34750So, has anything been said in the US media? There's a distinct dearth:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=ISO-8859-1&ncl=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060202.wxshooting02/BNStory/National/except for the Houston Chronicle repeating the US military's talking points yesterday ...
How to win friends and influence people ...