A freed Italian hostage was injured and an Italian secret service agent killed Friday after a U.S. armored vehicle fired on a car in which they were riding in Iraq, Italian news agencies reported. They added that Giuliana Sgrena, 56, a reporter for Il Manifesto, was in a hospital in Iraq with a shoulder injury. The shooting occurred at a roadblock while the car was heading to the airport, the reports said.
The editor of Il Manifesto, Gabriele Polo, said the secret service agent was killed when he threw himself over the freed hostage to protect her from fire. He also said Sgrena was in the hospital but was not seriously injured
Her reported release came as U.S. forces clashed with armed men, killing three. Residents of an Iraqi town killed another seven armed men and a car bomb left another man dead northeast of the capital.
Also Friday, two members of the Shiite-led United Iraqi Alliance dropped out of the political group because of its inability to craft a deal for a new prime minister, The AP reported.
