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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Al-Jazeera marks ’martyr’s’ death |
| 2004-05-21 |
Friday, 21 May, 2004, 14:44 GMT 15:44 UK By Sebastian Usher - BBC World media correspondent Among those killed in the latest violence in Iraq was an employee of the Arab satellite TV station, al-Jazeera. Stop, stop ... you’re ripping my heart out! The station, whose offices in Afghanistan and Iraq have been hit by fire from US forces, led its news bulletin with the death. Rashid Hamid Wali was killed during clashes in Karbala between American forces and insurgents. Video footage showed his body wrapped in a blanket being laid on a stretcher. The presenter said Wali was part of the al-Jazeera Wali - an Iraqi - had arrived in Karbala just two days before. The presenter offered the station’s sympathy to his family in these words: "In the name of its entire staff, al-Jazeera extends its deepest condolences to the family of the martyr. From God we come, and unto him we shall return." Boo-fricking-hoo! Now tell us all about how this is so "humiliating." Emotional interview Al-Jazeera referred to Wali throughout its report as a "shahid" - a martyr - the same term it uses to describe civilians killed in Iraq and Palestinians killed by Israelis. In its bulletin at 0500 GMT, the announcer spoke to a colleague of Wali’s - Abdel Azim Muhammed. In a phone interview, he describes how he was standing near Wali on the fourth floor of their hotel in Karbala when he was shot. But after a minute or so, his emotions overcome him and he comes to a stop. The only tragedy here is that these maggots don’t even have any beer to cry in. The presenter ends the interview when it becomes clear the correspondent cannot go on. ’Mistake’ Rashid Hamid Wali is not the first member of al-Jazeera’s team in Iraq to be killed. Last April, one of its top correspondents, Tariq Ayoub, was killed when a US air strike hit the al-Jazeera office in Baghdad. The Americans said it was a targeting mistake, but al-Jazeera said it gave the Pentagon the exact location of its Baghdad office months before the outbreak of war. It is easy to tell that this was most definitely a "targeting mistake." The place was supposed to get hit with a MOAB, not a 500 pounder. Al-Jazeera’s main competitor in the Arab world, al-Arabiya, also lost two of its employees in Iraq in March. It accuses US troops of shooting them at a checkpoint. The Americans have denied responsibility. Both al-Arabiya and al-Jazeera have been heavily criticized by senior US officials for alleged But the US rejects any suggestion that their news teams may have been targeted. More than 25 people working for news organisations have died in Iraq since the US launched its war last year. The Committee to Protect Journalists has described it as the most dangerous place in the world to work as a journalist. Now there’s a BGO (Blinding Glimpse of the Obvious). To quote the famous western philosopher known as Popeye, "Ya pays ya money and ya takes yer chanskes." |
| Posted by:Zenster |
| #5 Minor nag: a 500 pounder vice a MOAB isn't a targeting mistake, it's a weaponeering mistake. Intel does targeting, Ops does weaponeering. |
| Posted by: longtime lurker 2004-05-22 8:37:10 AM |
| #4 Hold on. Al-Jazeera is saying that they are actively involved in the insurrection and terrorism since they are calling their employee a 'martyr'. BING-EFFING-O, CrazyFool. Great catch. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-05-21 9:00:56 PM |
| #3 I thought it was an institution of Zionism? The Saudis said so yesterday . . . |
| Posted by: The Doctor 2004-05-21 3:46:45 PM |
| #2 Hold on. Al-Jazeera is saying that they are actively involved in the insurrection and terrorism since they are calling their employee a 'martyr'. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-05-21 3:02:05 PM |
| #1 Enjoy those virgins, Rashid! |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-05-21 1:28:57 PM |