Calipari/Sgrena Report: Reconstruction of the incident

Corriere della Sera has a graphic with a reconstruction of the incident.

Anonymous, in the comment in the Mayday! thread below, reminds us that the blocking checkpoint is an interdiction checkpoint.

I just read the full U.S. report and was struck by the fact that this road block had no signs or barricades in the street. It was a BLOCKING roadblock meaning NO ONE was allowed to pass and cars were not to be searched. You were just supposed to turn around based on a spotlight pointed at you and later a green laser light swirling at the driver indicating "turn around" and go back. No one was to approach the vechicle and talk to you. Also, it was only supposed to last for 15 minutes in time for VIP Negropointe to pass. The report stated longer than 15 minutes would put the soldiers at risk of being targeted by insurgents. Yet they were actually there for over an hour!

They made 2 or more radio contacts with outside commanders to request to leave the road block since Negropointe group NEVER EVEN SHOWED UP and they were nervous they would become targets themselves. Yet they were never told Negropinte had actually gone by helicopter, not the more dangerous road, since the weather improved. Each contact they made they were told just to stay there. Later radio contact was out and they could not even make contact! Oh, this was there first day at this type of assignment and they were not trained in BLOCKING only road checking.The report ends with suggestions such as in future signs should be put up ahead of the block saying "road closed, do not enter."Also it suggests advertising this road block policy at signs, for example, near the airport for all to see.

And we thought the iraq general public knew the procedure to follow since at first the news reported these road blocks are all over Iraq and the Italians simply violated the "rules." What are they mind readers??? A comedy of errors! Still haven't read that the car was allowed to be examined by the Italians. U.S> claims 11 shots hit the car. From the "alert line" to the cars stopping point was only 265 feet - life and death in 4 seconds.

Meanwhile, Michael O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow della Brookings Institution, mades an handwringing apology, light on the facts and claiming that the patrol was "well-trained" in today's Corriere.