Im reading this NY Times article on the rescue of a British reporter and NY Times correspondent and his Afghani guide / interpreter / partner and something struck me....
And when I say 'struck me' I mean 'belted me in the face with a ball peen hammer*'
*"I Corrupt All Cops" reference
One article describes what happened:
Early Wednesday morning, Mr. Munadi died in a predawn raid by British commandos trying to rescue him and Stephen Farrell, a correspondent for The Times, from Taliban captivity. The two men had been kidnapped in northern Afghanistan on Saturday while reporting on a NATO bombing that killed scores of people, possibly including many civilians.
Mr. Munadi was killed as he tried to lead Mr. Farrell to safety.
Walking in front of Mr. Farrell as they tried to reach British forces, Mr. Munadi stepped out from behind a wall, raised his hands and identified himself as a journalist. A hail of bullets immediately felled him.
“He was trying to protect me up to the last minute,” Mr. Farrell said.
......
Then the next article gives the official version (same day, same paper):
"The raid by British Special Forces and Afghan soldiers freed the reporter, Stephen Farrell, but the interpreter, Sultan Munadi, and a British paratrooper were killed in a fierce firefight,..."
“Sadly, we were unable to rescue Stephen’s Afghan interpreter, Sultan Munadi, and we send his family our condolences,” he said.
President Hamid Karzai “strongly condemned the killing of an experienced Afghan journalist,” his office said in a statement on Wednesday, according to Agence France-Presse. The statement said Mr. Munadi “was killed mercilessly by the enemies of Afghanistan” — shorthand for Taliban insurgents — but did not give further details."
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The respective final lines to both articles:
Mr. Farrell expressed despair Wednesday at Mr. Munadi’s death, saying he was “three seconds away from safety” when he was shot."
Mr. Munadi became worried about his own fate, and told Mr. Farrell, “I think you’re going to be O.K., but they’ve got it in for me.”