BAGHDAD - The US military confirmed Friday that its forces fired on and wounded an Italian female journalist who had just been released from captivity and killed a fellow passenger when their car sped up to a checkpoint on the road to the Baghdad airport.
"At approximately 8:55 pm (1755 GMT), coalition forces ... fired on a vehicle approaching a checkpoint in Baghdad at a high rate of speed. The recently freed Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena was an occupant in the vehicle and was apparently injured," Lieutenant Colonel Mike Caldwell said, reading an official statement.
"The details are not clear at this point. Apparently, a second person in the automobile was killed. Ms. Sgrena is being treated by coalition medical personnel. The incident is under investigation."
The Pentagon confirmed there had been an incident but gave no details.
Earlier, Italy`s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced that Sgrena had been wounded and an Italian secret service agent killed by US troops at a coalition checkpoint on the way to the Baghdad airport.
The ANSA news agency said two other Italian secret service agents were wounded. It is not known if they returned fire.
Only shortly before, the Italian government had confirmed Sgrena`s release, exactly a month after she was kidnapped near a Baghdad mosque while on assignment in Iraq.
US troops have just officially changed over in Baghdad, with the US Army`s 3rd Infantry Division taking over a week ago from the 1st Cavalry Division, which had been stationed in the capital for almost a year.
03/04/2005 20:39 GMT