Not true ?? NBC pulled a Fox News and reported prematurely:


Washington, 15 April (AKI) - The US state department has denied a report by the American TV network NBC that the American troops who shot dead an Italian intelligence agent in Baghdad have been cleared of any wrongdoing. Nicola Calipari was killed on 4 March, when US troops opened fire on the car he was travelling in to take freed Italian hostage Giuliana Sgrena to Baghdad airport. Sgrena and another intelligence agent driving the car were both injured.

The conclusion of the commission investigating the shooting - which is led by senior US military officials but includes two Italians - is said to have been delayed by the Italians' reluctance to accept the US version of what happened.

However, on Thursday, NBC said the commission had found that Calipari may have been partly responsible for his own death by deciding not to coordinate with the US military in the operation to free Sgrena.

The American network also said the inquiry had failed to resolve the differences over how fast the car was travelling. The Americans say it approached their patrol at around 80 kilometres an hour, and failed to stop despite the soldiers flashing warning lights and firing warning shots.

The Italians, and Giuliana Sgrena herself, say they were travelling much slower. According to NBC, senior US military officials say there were only four seconds between the firing of the first warning shots and the fatal shots, but they maintain that the troops reacted properly under the current rules of engagement.

The US state department was quick to dismiss the report: "The investigation is still ongoing," said press officer Thomas Casey. "Anyone asserting that conclusions have been reached, or anyone claiming that conclusions have been reached, and they know what they are, must be misinformed."