Army Probes Death Of Reporter

Monday, August 18, 2003

The Associated Press

"We saw a tank 50 meters away, I heard six shots and Mazen fell to the ground. One of the soldiers started shouting at us, but when he knew we were journalists, he softened. One of the soldiers told us they thought Mazen was carrying a rocket-propelled grenade. There were many journalists around. They knew we were journalists. This was not an accident."

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- AP
The Army acknowledged Monday that it had killed a television journalist after soldiers mistook his camera for a rocket propelled grenade launcher.

Meanwhile, saboteurs set back efforts to rebuild Iraq over the weekend with attacks on the country's lifeblood oil pipelines and the capital's water supply.

The water main bombing came Sunday as two oil fires raged out of control along an oil pipeline to Turkey, halting exports just days after they started. The first blaze appeared to be sabotage, a coalition spokesman said.

A new group of resistance fighters vowed on Sunday to battle the U.S.-led occupation whether or not it helps rebuild the country.

In new violence, a mortar attack on a Baghdad prison being used by the United States killed six Iraqis and injured about 60.

Reuters cameraman Mazen Dana, 41, was videotaping outside the prison hours after the attack when U.S. soldiers shot him. He was the 17th news organization employee to be killed since the war began.
(More: Military.com)
2003 © The Associated Press.

Dan