Unfortunate Incident: The Untold Story of Giuliana Sgrena’s Release and the Diplomatic Rift with the US

In 2005, an Italian agent was killed by US soldiers in Iraq while escorting hostages. The incident led to a serious diplomatic rift between the two countries. Giuliana Sgrena, a reporter for the Italian left-wing daily Il Manifesto, was kidnapped in February 2005 near Baghdad University. Her captors released a video of her calling on foreign forces to stop occupying Iraq and asking for help from the Italian government.

The US-led coalition forces launched a war against Saddam Hussein’s government in Iraq in March 2003, resulting in the collapse of his regime just over a month later. US President George W. Bush declared the combat mission complete in May 2003, transitioning to the phase of building a democratic regime in Iraq. US troops remained in Iraq until withdrawing in 2011.

After being held captive for more than a month, Sgrena was released but not without incident. On March 4, 2005, while being escorted back home by Italian military intelligence agents Nicola Calipari and Andrea Carpani, their car came under fire from US soldiers at a checkpoint. Calipari shielded Sgrena and was killed while she and Carpani were injured. The incident strained relations between Italy and the United States, becoming one of the most severe diplomatic incidents between them since 1998.

Italian investigators accused US officials of not adequately reporting the incident, leading to pressure and fatigue as factors that contributed to the shooting. Despite differing accounts and investigations, it was ultimately concluded that the shooting was an accident that occurred in a war zone.

Nicola Calipari was hailed as a hero by Italians for sacrificing himself to protect Giuliana Sgrena. He received posthumous honors including a medal of bravery during an official ceremony held in Rome attended by thousands of people