US and Italy clash over agent's shooting

An Italian secret service agent was shot dead in Iraq by “inexperienced” US soldiers at an “unmarked checkpoint”, an official report said last night.

The 52-page dossier issued late last night was certain to put Italy and the United States at loggerheads over the incident. Italy has been one of the staunchest allies of President Bush over the war in Iraq but the damning investigation into Nicola Calipari’s death is certain to create tension between the countries.

Calipari was gunned down at a checkpoint on 4 March as he drove to Baghdad airport with freed Italian hostage Giuliana Sgrena who had been held for a month.

Last night’s Italian report came just days after a leaked Pentagon investigation cleared US troops of any wrongdoing.

The report added that there were “no signs warning traffic of the presence of an American roadblock.”

Also the US soliders had not “preserved” the scene of the shooting and the car had been immediately removed.