Despite AP Denials, Iraq Gov. Says Body Burning Source a Fake

By Al Brown | November 30, 2006 - 01:30 ET

The "police captain" that the Associated Press used as the source for their story about six Sunni men dragged from prayers and burned alive by Shiite militants is not a policeman and does not work for the Iraqi government in any capacity, according to the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior.

CENTCOM had warned the AP about Hussein and other questionable sources they were using, but was rebuffed by the wire service organization. The AP's sensational story of the burning Sunnis was cited by NBC as a reason they decided to start calling violence in Iraq a "civil war." The source, "police captain Jamil Hussein," has been quoted in wire service stories since April of this year.

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Michelle Malkin has the details of a press conference held today by Iraqi Brigadier General Abdul-Kareem, speaking for the Iraqi Minstry of the Interior:

From CPATT PAO: BG Abdul-Kareem, the Ministry of Interior Spokesman, went on the record today stating that Capt. Jamil Hussein is not a police officer. He explained the coordinations among MOI, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Defense in attempting to track down these bodies and their joint conclusion was that this was unsubstantiated rumor.

He went on to name several other false sources that have been used recently and appealed to the media to document their news before reporting. He went into some detail about the impact of the press carrying propaganda for the enemies of Iraq and thanked "the friends" who have brought this to their attention.

AP did attend the press conference.

Michelle has also posted a partial transcript of the press conference. In it, Abdul-Kareem accuses the wire services of printing unsubstantiated rumors using anonymous sources and bogus named sources.

So far, the Associated Press is standing by their story, claiming that their reporters visited Jamil Hussein at his police station. This brings the AP's reporters themselves into question. Are they simply trying to cover up a costly and humiliating mistake, or are they unvetted local hires whose allegiance is really to al Qaeda?

The bogus source story was broken by the blog, Flopping Aces.

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Check out a source?  Geez, t

Check out a source?  Geez, that sounds like a lot of extra work. . . . . and it's pretty scary outside the greenzone. 

A Pennsylvania resident, le

A Pennsylvania resident, let's call him "Janksil Captayn," has been making the same point with various sputtering-mad media bigwigs for (literally) decades...
JMR

AP Story

AP motto: Never let facts ruin a story.

Here we are again with the me

Here we are again with the media getting it wrong and not giving a damn about reporting their mistake. Maybe NBC can take back their label of "Civil War" because the news accounts leading up were bogus. Everyone of them got it wrong on Valerie Plame(especially Hardball) but did any of them apologize? Not on your life, it was a political hit on Bush that lasted a year and a half. As Brent Bozell said " they should be absolutely ashamed of themselves" and he is right.

I think everyone is missing t

I think everyone is missing the main point, if AP actually has been warned the sources are bad and that the information is incorrect, and still publishes the current messages, then they are treading on treason and sedition.

I would think that someone needs to fully look into this and if correct, the should be charged accordingly.

Iraq

True, but hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

I agree, but if Hanoi Jane can get away with it.....

  Ignorance is bliss. It's easier to repeat a mindless slogan than to do some actual research.

I still after reading this st

I still after reading this story haven't any idea what it is about.  Saddam is gone; power to the local people and hopefully to their at this moment chosen representitives.

"...claiming that their

"...claiming that their reporters visited Jamil Hussein at his police station..."

Hussein as a source???  Did he have a thick mustache?  Was he behind bars?

"My name is Jamil, really.  I'm a police Captain, and I'm just inspecting this jail cell.  Now, what do you want to know?" 

Implying the headline that, A

Implying the headline that, AP source is an impostor, would also imply that as an impostor there has to be a living breathing person to impersonate. I think if one was to really look into the source of stingers used and the actual AP reporter having tea in the green-zone, you would find that there are maybe 2-3 names that continuously appear. Since he was a widely used source, this Cpt Hussein, it is not at all a crazy theory that these sympathetic stringers have completely fictionalized this character directly out of their asses. Since the fluid use of Cpt Hussein way back in April ´06 flew then, its also not whacked out to think these greenzoners get together and swap spit and stories along with sources.  The idea is simple, just make up a source that can be killed in action when ever the stringer feels heat on the story. like now. I bet this capt Hussein will never appear, and I bet another quote will never be made by this Cpt Hussein. I'm also willing to bet that who ever breaks the story of one missing Cpt Hussein will be one of the 2-3 stringers that often quotes him. OK, so Hussein´s dead what do they do now. NEXXXXXXXXXXXXT!!!!!!!!

IMO... Cheers

Kind of makes me wonder if Ja

Kind of makes me wonder if Jason Blair, after being fired by al-NYT, got a job with AP using several different noms de plume.

"A communist is someone who reads Marx.  An anti-communist is someone who understands Marx."  Ronald Reagan

but but but slaphappy

Slaphappy, we believe this did happen even though we have no solid evidence for it but circumstances are akin to it's occurrence and even though we never covered it firsthand and it was never openly discovered by our unimpeachable source with anyone else and regional police office shortages have caused no real paper trail to develop we stand by it. Six burned corpses would leave only ashes blown away by the sandstorms, and there have been many fires from a large amount of stray coalition ordinances that comsume utterly anything left in their path. Stolen gasoline and kerosine is everywhere. One moment please my cousin Bagdad Bob's son is calling.

ISN'T  "HUSSEIN" 

ISN'T  "HUSSEIN"  OSAMA- OBAMAS ACTUAL MIDDLE NAME?

barrack hussein obama

...why yes it is...

Actually, the Iraq Government

Actually, the Iraq Government got it wrong.  It's the AP that is an imposter, they pretend to be a news agency.  Their source is fictional, and therefore cannot be an imposter, that would be like saying Tom Sawyer is an imposter.

Ahhhh, the return of the fak

Ahhhh, the return of the "fake but accurate news" industry that Dan Rather pioneered.  What a Legacy.

Whetaver....

My first thought as well Ten7s.  The Rather Doctrine on full display.

The burning story may smell as bad as flushed korans at gitmo, but we just can't let those minor defeats overshadow the more important tale to tell, the Iraqi-war-is-a-total-disaster story.  Why?  Because we the media say so and we are never worgn, er....wrgon, er....whetaver.....

The developed world can never win the WoT simply because the media long-ago made up their precious little minds that cannot happen.  If they don't say so or until they put it to print, it just ain't so, in their view of reality.  It's not a bad position for the media to be in really.  We say so, so until we stop saying so, it must be so.  Or something equally so-so.  At least Cindy Sheehan had a supposed moral authority to say so.   I'm starting to doubt this media stubborness has much to do with politics or ideology so much as the high altitude condition observed after a lengthy ascent of Mount Ego.  Scary.....

Besides the Great French Cheese Wars, exactly which war has ever been civil?

lol- the msm keeps getting worse

lol- the msm keeps getting worse.

 Now their carefully researched and consulted, discussed, and considered "civil war footing" has a glaring lie as a catalyst.

I wonder if Matt Lauer is turning purple? (blue and blush)

Oh boy, now we get to hear how they really didn't consider the 6 burning Sunni's whoops it's a lie story in their deliberations, and it held only a negligible minority position in any thoughts and was never really discussed but only mentioned in the announcement as current interest explosive news, and upon further review they remain seized of their own convictions that they made the correct call nonetheless and will continue to report what they view as the actual dire realities imbued and determined as journalists they must not shy away from but have the courage and fortitude to let the public face, even in the hostile environment and objections this administration and the untrustworthy new incapable regime have levelled against them. Free speech, and freedom of the press have once again been upheld, and we have saved the democracy from total destruction that looms upon it from this out of control secretive executive branch of lies. And now, a word from Dan Rather's new HDNet newscast.

This is a very astute comment

This is a very astute comment. I do expect NBC to minimize the role of the burning six story, if, that is, the rest of the mainstream is unsuccessful in burying the story. So far, the stonewall is pretty solid.

When is something, anything g

When is something, anything going to be done about the rampant treason in the leftist press? The get outed, nothing, absolutely nothing is done about this...people are being killed, critters are using this as propaganda against the good guys, the enemy within are glorifying  and using it...something has to be done to protect our military, let alone the rest of the Iraqi people and us here at home.

It is outrageous.

Maybe this is something the b

Maybe this is something the boss can clear up for everybody..

Tom Curley - President/CEO

450 W. 33rd Street

New York, NY 10001

phone: (212) 621-7550

fax: (212) 621-1980

email: tcurley@ap.org

AP

The AP has proven that it is no longer a credible source for the news. So, in the future, as you go through various publications that show AP as its news source, be wary, be very wary.

It's not that simple

It's not that easy, unfortunately.  A lot of broadcast outlets use AP copy in their news stories without giving them credit (which is allowed by their agreements with AP).

AP

You are correct nkviking, but I just sent my comment  to Tom anyway. I don't plan to hold my breath for a reply.

AP

To quote Rush: "al-AP" and "al-Reuters." Or al-ja-AP works, too.

  Ignorance is bliss. It's easier to repeat a mindless slogan than to do some actual research.

AP, et al, the fifth column is alive and well

Indeed, they're all one of the same; the fifth column is alive and well... collaborationists.