Bulgaria demands explanation; soldier killed by US troops

[Bluebear]

SOFIA (AFP) - Taking its cue from Italy, Bulgaria pressed Washington to provide an explanation for a "friendly fire" incident which claimed the life of a Bulgarian soldier last week.

Defence Minister Nikolay Svinarov announced Monday that US "friendly fire" caused the death Friday of machinegunner Gardi Gardev, while his unit was patrolling a road some 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Baghdad.

The death of Gardev occurred on the same day Italian intelligence officer Nicola Calipari was also killed in a separate incident as he tried to shield freed Italian hostage Giuliana Sgrena from US gunfire on the convoy whisking her to safety near Baghdad.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050307/wl_mideast_afp/iraqbulgariaitalytollus_050307162952

[aden_nak]

1. Keep cutting that pre-deployment training, guys! It's working wonders.

[hatrack]

2. Man, we're just winning hearts and minds all OVER the globe!

But it's a small price to pay when Freedom's On The March!

:puke:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. Those "unfortunate incidents" just keep on coming.

Too bad such "incidents" that happen to Iraqis don't get as much press.

[Bouncy Ball]

5. Amen.

But I've always gotten the feeling there is some deep-seated racism at work here.

:-(

[Bouncy Ball]

4. Sadly, I can just hear what the neocons think about this.

"BULGARIA??? BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! If we don't care about Italy, why the hell should we care about Bulgaria? Where IS Bulgaria, anyway? Oh it's Old Europe, who cares? They can go take a flying leap."

If those aren't their exact words, it sure as hell is present in their attitudes and actions.

[Bluebear]

6. "Filthy eastern European yogurt eaters blah blah blah.....

[Jacobin]

7. "Hey, we get to shoot at anything that moves, so if you don't

like it, fuck you"

Scott McClellan.

[Bluebear]

8. I can completely hear McClellan saying that too.

That is what is so sad.