Giuliana Sgrena talks about her book Friendly Fire: The Remarkable Story of a Journalist Kidnapped in Iraq, Rescued by an Italian Secret Service Agent, and Shot by U.S. Forces, published by Haymarket Books.
Ms. Sgrena, an Italian reporter, was kidnapped by Iraqi insurgents and held for a month. On the day of her release the car that was taking her to the airport was fired upon by U.S. forces guarding the road. Ms Sgrena was shot and the man who negotiated her release, Italian intelligence official Major General Nicola Calipari, was killed.
Bio
Giuliana Sgrena
Giuliana Sgrena is a well-known Italian journalist and author who works for the Italian communist newspaper Il Manifesto and the German weekly Die Zeit.
While working in Iraq, she was kidnapped by insurgents on 4 February 2005. After her release on March 4, 2005, Sgrena and the two Italian intelligence officers who had helped secure her release came under fire from U.S. forces while on their way to Baghdad International Airport. Nicola Calipari, a Major General in the Italian military intelligence service was killed, and Sgrena and one other officer were wounded in the incident. The event caused an international outcry.