Friendly Fire

Giuliana Sgrena, the radical Italian journalist freed yesterday after a month in captivity in Iraq, was wounded in the shoulder by American fire last night as she was being driven to Baghdad airport. An Italian secret service agent named as Nicola Calipari was killed by the American fire after apparently throwing himself on top of Ms Sgrena to protect her. Two other agents were also wounded in the attack at an American road block close to the airport. (...) Gabriele Polo, editor of Il Manifesto , the independent Communist daily for which Ms Sgrena worked, fought back tears as he said: "An Italian agent has been killed by an American bullet ­ A tragic demonstration ... that everything that's happening in Iraq is senseless and mad."

Celebrations at release of Italian hostage cut short after American troops fire on car
By Peter Popham in Rome
The Independent
05 March 2005