by Scott Ott
(2005-03-05) -- Recently released Italian hostage Giuliana Sgrena, a writer for the communist paper Il Manifesto, was injured and a security agent killed when U.S. troops near Baghdad fired on her unidentified speeding vehicle as it approached a security checkpoint, despite the fact that the driver of the car had E-ZPass, according to an unnamed editor at Il Manifesto.
U.S. sources have revealed, however, that due to inadequate funding, that particular security checkpoint has not yet been equipped with E-ZPass technology.
Troops used hand signals, flashing lights and warning shots in an attempt to slow the approach of Ms. Sgrena's vehicle, whose driver was apparently so intent on finding the E-ZPass lane that he didn't notice the bullets striking the road in front of him.
Details of the incident were sketchy, and it's not yet clear whether the security agent died from gunfire or from the car accident that resulted when troops shot the engine block. But the details available from the communist newspaper editor make it clear that "the shooting is another example of what's wrong with U.S. foreign policy and the grinding machine of capitalism that drives nations on an imperialistic quest for oil."
Ms. Sgrena was treated at a U.S. military hospital.
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