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U.S. Bombs S. Baghdad After Copter Crash

U.S. Holds Reuters Staff Near Chopper Crash in Iraq

AP -January 3

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military bombarded southern Baghdad with artillery to root out insurgents believed to be launching mortar shells and rockets, hours after a U.S. military helicopter was shot down west of the capital, killing one soldier.

...there was confusion since Reuters news agency reported that its team at the scene was fired at by U.S. troops and three were later detained by the military.

Reuters -January 3, 2004

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - American soldiers on Friday detained three Iraqis working for Reuters as they covered the aftermath of a U.S. helicopter crash near the volatile town of Falluja.

A Reuters driver who was working with the three said they had earlier been fired on by U.S. troops as they filmed a checkpoint close to the site where a Kiowa observation helicopter was shot down by guerrillas.

One pilot was killed and another injured in the crash.

"We were fired on and we drove away at high speed," driver Alaa Noury said. He said Reuters cameraman Salem Uraiby had been filming the checkpoint using a camera on a tripod, and had been wearing a flak jacket clearly marked with the word "press."

Noury said a second car driven by another Iraqi journalist had been fired upon in the same incident.

Noury returned to Baghdad with the footage that had been shot while Uraiby remained in Falluja to continue filming along with an Iraqi stringer and driver.

Reuters was later told by the U.S. military that the three men had been detained, but was not informed of any allegations against them.

Suspecting US Motives

ArabNews -3 January 2004

"Many people believe the US invasion of Iraq was primarily about oil, not weapons of mass destruction (WMD). There is still no evidence of WMD, but it is indisputable that Iraq has oil.

Suspicions will only be deepened by the news this week that 30 years ago, in the wake of the Arab oil embargo, Washington was seriously considering invading and occupying the production fields of Gulf states."

1. "AP" - http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid;=540&e;=3&u;=/ap/20040103/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq
2. "Reuters" - http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID;=4066622
3. "ArabNews" - http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion;=0&article;=37460&d;=3&m;=1&y;=2004

printed from GlobalFreePress, U.S. bombs Baghdad, holds Reuters Staff near Fallujah on 2004-12-09 17:14:11