There’s been much attention paid to the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. What went almost unnoticed was another anniversary. It happened a few weeks later and a day before the fall of Baghdad. It was April 8th 2003, when the US military shelled the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad killing two journalists Reuters cameraman Taras Protsyuk and Jose Couso, a cameraman for the Spanish television network Telecinco.

Just over a year ago, a Spanish judge indicted three US soldiers in the killings–Sgt. Shawn Gibson, Capt. Philip Wolford and Lt. Col. Philip DeCamp. The three men were charged with homicide and committing a crime against the international community. The Bush administration has refused to hand over the soldiers for trial and has not charged them here in the United States.

The Pentagon has defended the attack on the Palestine Hotel, calling the killings accidental. The soldiers involved claim they were targeting insurgents who had fired rocket propelled grenades.

But several holes have emerged in the U.S. account. The Palestine Hotel was a well known place for journalists covering the Iraq war. The U.S. tanks were at too far a distance to be hit by rocket propelled grenades from the hotel. Witnesses reported hearing almost no gunfire from the area around the hotel in the hours leading up to the U.S. attack. And earlier that day, two other media outlets had also been hit by U.S. strikes: the Abu Dhabi television network, and the satellite network Al Jazeera, killing correspondent Tareq Ayoub.

In a few moments, I’ll be joined by an Iraq war veteran who says she has new information that could point to a deliberate U.S. attack on the Palestine Hotel.

But first, I want to turn to the documentary, “Hotel Palestine: Killing the Witness,” produced by Jose Couso’s network, Telecinco, and broadcast on Spanish TV. It includes interviews with numerous journalists who were inside the Palestine Hotel and helped rush Jose Couso to the hospital. This clip begins with scenes taken inside the Palestine Hotel moments after the U.S. shelling. A warning to our television audience, some footage contains graphic images.

“Palestine Hotel: Killing The Witness”

Scenes from the attack on the Palestine Hotel from the documentary, “Hotel Palestine: Killing the Witness,” produced by Jose Couso’s network, Telecinco. I’m joined now by Adrienne Kinne. She is a former Army sergeant who worked in military intelligence during the Iraq war. She served in the military for ten years–from 1994 to 2004.

Adrienne Kinne, former Army sergeant who worked in military intelligence. Served for ten years from 1994 to 2004.

Related Democracy Now! Stories

• Hotel Palestine: Killing the Witness–Documentary Exposes the Truth Behind the Attack (3/23/2005)
• U.S. Accused of Lying About Its Troops Killing Journalists in Iraq (1/16/2004)
• Family of Spanish Journalist Killed by U.S. Forces in Baghdad Accuses U.S. of War Crime (11/23/2004)
• Wounded Spanish Journalist Olga Rodriguez Describes the U.S. Attack on the Palestine Hotel That Killed Two of Her Colleagues (3/23/2005)
• Brother of Slain Journalist Jose Couso Calls for Prosecution of Those Responsible for U.S. Attack on Palestine Hotel (3/23/2005)

---

LISTEN ONLINE