REPORTING IN A WAR ZONE….When war supporters talk about Reuters as “the enemy,” I always figured they just meant it metaphorically. Apparently not:
The international news agency Reuters has made a formal complaint to the Pentagon following the “wrongful” arrest and apparent “brutalisation” of three of its staff this month by US troops in Iraq.
….Although Reuters has not commented publicly, it is understood that the journalists were “brutalised and intimidated” by US soldiers, who put bags over their heads, told them they would be sent to Guantanamo Bay, and whispered: “Let’s have sex.”
At one point during the interrogation, according to the family of one of the staff members, a US soldier shoved a shoe into the mouth one of the Iraqis.
The US troops, from the 82nd Airborne Division, based in Falluja, also made the blindfolded journalists stand for hours with their arms raised and their palms pressed against the cell wall.
….A spokeswoman for the US military’s coalition press and information centre in Baghdad hung up when the Guardian asked her to comment.
I sure hope this turns out not to be true.
