Bulgarian soldier killed by US friendly fire

[Bulair]

Baghdad - United States forces in Iraq, already implicated in the killing of an Italian secret agent, faced more "friendly fire" embarrassment on Monday when Bulgaria said they had probably shot dead one of its soldiers.

The Bulgarian soldier was killed in southern Iraq on Friday evening, around the same time that US forces in Baghdad opened fire on a vehicle taking kidnapped Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena to the airport shortly after her captors freed her.

Sgrena was wounded in the shoulder and secret agent Nicola Calipari, who played a key role in her release, was killed. Calipari, who died attempting to shield Sgrena, was to receive a state funeral in Italy later on Monday.



'Someone started shooting at our patrol from the west' Bulgarian Defence Minister Nikolai Svinarov said an investigation into the death of the Bulgarian soldier showed he was probably accidentally killed by American troops.

"Someone started shooting at our patrol from the west, and in the same direction, 150m away, there was a unit from the US army," he told a news conference.

"The result gives us enough grounds to believe the death of rifleman Gurdi Gurdev was caused by friendly fire."

[Ederico]

Insane.

[Reltih]

Originally Posted by Bulair

'Someone started shooting at our patrol from the west' Bulgarian Defence Minister Nikolai Svinarov said

There is sybolism here. From the West....they are shooting at us...friendly.

[Timo]

What did the US military say to these accusations? Were the riflemen of the US Army firing at the time of this man's death?

[Strengthandhonour]

I am hoping that Bulgaria and Italy take their forces out of Iraq soon. First an Italian special agent, now a poor Bulgarian soldier, who's next? I don't know about you, but have any of you heard about this incident anywhere else?

[Ederico]

Bulair kindly provide a source, some link please.

[Menydh]

U.S. Shootings Strain Ties with Iraq Allies

Reuters
March 7, 2005

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. forces in Iraq faced new strains with allies on Monday when Bulgaria said they had probably shot dead one of its soldiers after angering Rome by killing an Italian secret agent who rescued a hostage.

The shootings confirmed what for many Iraqis is a daily reality -- that U.S. forces are too quick to open fire and often kill innocent civilians in their efforts to crack down on insurgents, who killed at least 23 people in fresh attacks.

The U.S. military says it does all it can to minimise the risk of Iraqis and foreign civilians being killed.

The Bulgarian soldier was killed in southern Iraq on Friday, around the same time that U.S. forces in Baghdad opened fire on a vehicle taking kidnapped Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena to the airport shortly after her captors freed her.

Sgrena was wounded in the shoulder and secret agent Nicola Calipari, who played a key role in her release, was killed. Italy laid on an state funeral in Rome on Monday for Calipari.

Bulgarian Defense Minister Nikolai Svinarov said an investigation into the death of the Bulgarian soldier showed he had probably been accidentally killed by American troops.

"Someone started shooting at our patrol from the west, and in the same direction, 150 meters (yards) away, there was a unit from the U.S. army," he told a news conference.

"The result gives us enough grounds to believe the death of rifleman Gurdi Gurdev was caused by friendly fire."

Svinarov said the Bulgarian army's chief of staff had written to General Richard Myers, chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of staff, asking for an investigation.

The U.S. military had no immediate comment.

ANGER IN ITALY

But the White House rejected Sgrena's suggestion that she was targeted by U.S. troops on the road to Baghdad airport. "I think it's absurd to make any such suggestion that our men and women in uniform deliberately targeted innocent civilians. That's just absurd," said spokesman Scott McClellan.

He said the road to the airport "is one of the most dangerous roads in Iraq," plagued by suicide bombings and other attacks, and that forces often had to make "split-second decisions to protect their own security."

He said President Bush considered Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi a good friend and had assured him there would be a full investigation into the incident.

Earlier the U.S. military says the Italian vehicle was traveling at high speed and ignored instructions to stop. Sgrena disputed that account, saying they were traveling at a moderate speed.

Although the governments of Italy and Bulgaria supported the war in Iraq, a large proportion of their people opposed it. Some 75 percent of Bulgarians disagree with U.S.-led military operations in Iraq, according to opinion polls.

SUICIDE ATTACKS

Iraq's government, yet to be formed, faces an uphill battle to rein in violence. On Monday, Deputy President Rowsch Shways said talks were proceeding on how to distribute the top positions between the different parties.

The National Assembly is due to meet on March 16.

In Balad, north of Baghdad, a suicide bomber blew up his car outside an army officer's house, killing at least 12 people, hospital officials and police said.

In the nearby town of Baquba, insurgents attacked soldiers and police with a suicide bomb, mortars and land mines, killing at least 10 people.

Al Qaeda's wing in Iraq, led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility for both attacks.

"The mujahideen ambushed a unit of the apostate guards in Baquba ... and a brave lion carried out an attack on the riffraff and turned them into scattered fragments," Al Qaeda Organization for Holy War in Iraq said in an Internet statement. Police in Baquba, a mixed Sunni and Shi'ite town 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad, said the attack began when five Iraqi soldiers were killed in an ambush. A suicide car bomb then hit police heading to reinforce the area, killing two. Three people were killed by roadside bombs.

In Baghdad, gunmen shot dead a policeman, police said.

In the northern city of Mosul, an Iraqi woman who had been a candidate in Jan. 30 elections for the Shi'ite alliance that topped the poll was shot dead on Sunday, alliance officials said. Hana Muhamasji, a university professor, was one of the few Sunni candidates on the alliance list.


[source]

[Strengthandhonour]

So what does everyone think of this? I feel bad for the Bulgarian soldier. But maybe this will wake up some Italians and make them push Berlusconi to withdraw troops from Iraq. The anti-American feeling rised for sure due to this.

[Menydh]

Americans are dregs, a shame to mankind. Europe must grow increasingly more anti-American. Only the British support those assasins. Same people, same cult for blood of innocents.

[Renwein]

Originally Posted by Mynydd

Only the British support those assasins. Same people, same cult for blood of innocents.

c'mon now, I don't know anybody here who supports the war. Literally not one person.

[Strengthandhonour]

With enough anti-Americanism in Italy, it will push Berlusconi more. It should be a goal of the Italian people to get the foreign occupation base inItaly out of the country as soon as possible, and to return all the Italians home.

[Rusalka]

This is not the first in American Armed Forces history, they have quite a bad record for "friendly fire" and such "casualties".

[Dr. Solar Wolff]

Do the Iraqis want the Italians or the Bulgarians in their country or do the Americans want the Italians and the Bulgarians in Iraq? The leadership of both Italy and Bulgaria are trying to kiss George Bush's ass. The people of both countries want to do something else entirely to Bush's ass. This only points out the kind of "democracy" Bush is looking to create everywhere---where democracy=subjugation. I know Italians and Bulgarians and know they are not as easily fooled and led as Americans. They will know what to do at election time.

[Menydh]

Originally Posted by Rusalka

This is not the first in American Armed Forces history, they have quite a bad record for "friendly fire" and such "casualties".

Retards!!! [Or American's Friendly Fire]

[Bulair]

Actually, as strange as it may sound I support the war in Iraq and the alliance between Bulgaria and the USA.But this incident really shocked me, because it showed how useless are the coalition forces in Iraq.They don't even have proper communication with their allies, at first they were stationed in the city of Kerbala, where terrorist groups commit attacks on allied forces every day.About 6 men died and they were rebased in Dywania, and it was quite obvious why, they are just kept there to symbolise their coalition, which is from a military and political point of view quite useless.The Americans and Brits can handle the situation well enough, so why bring coalition troops and have poor communications with them?

Dr.Wolff most people here are indeed very anti-american and don't support the war in Iraq, yet no political party admits that if they win the comming elections they will send the troops back home, which sort of indicated, that most members of the coalition will or already have a pretty good profit out of this war (and thats one of the reasons why I support it).

[Menydh]

Originally Posted by Bulair

Actually, as strange as it may sound I support the war in Iraq and the alliance between Bulgaria and the USA.

Yes, it sounds strange that someone would support such aggresion. I expect that you won't have any problem if people support the invasion of Bulgaria one day.

The Americans and Brits can handle the situation well enough, so why bring coalition troops and have poor communications with them?

Do you call the mess that is Iraq right now 'handling the situation well enough'? Interesting.

The coalition troops are there for a masquerade, to provide an fake image of an international alliance to what is a blatant, greedy and criminal act against a people.

By the way, which terrorist groups are you talking about? Saddam's regime was one of the most laicist governments in the Middle East, and far from supportive of any islamic terrorist group. There maybe Islamic Jihad fighters among them now, but there was none while Saddam Hussein was in charge.

Those who you call terrorists now are people who have been left no other other way to defend themselves against the invasion. They are patriots and fighters, not terrorists. The ones who have brought terror and death in Iraq are the Americans. So, if something, Americans are the terrorists there. And, sadly, some Europen countries are supporting the terrorists.

Dr.Wolff most people here are indeed very anti-american and don't support the war in Iraq

Most people in Europe are very anti-american. Politicians are just traitors.

yet no political party admits that if they win the comming elections they will send the troops back home, which sort of indicated, that most members of the coalition will or already have a pretty good profit out of this war (and thats one of the reasons why I support it).

So let the people speak up. Despite their excellent results in the Economy, the Spanish voted against the center of right PP for supporting America on Iraq.