NPR Journalist Escapes Car Bombing In Iraq

One of the great things about NPR reporting is how they go beyond the surface and actually do some "reporting". I especially have liked the stories NPR has brought from Iraq. Behind the PR of the US occupation force and the Iraqi government there are often poignant and disturbing tales of what Iraq is like now.

That "real Iraq" was hammered home to NPR correspondent Ivan Watson and his colleagues yesterday when their armored BMW was destroyed by a "sticky bomb" planted by a terrorist.
Luckily the NPR crew was warned away from the car at the last moment by Iraqi soldiers who had received a tip that the reporters would be targeted.

The car was blown up in Rabiye Street, once a bustling commercial street filled with boutiques and cafes. The crew had been doing an interview with a Kebab shop owner just prior to the explosion.

What this incident does is make abundantly clear that Iraq is still in a state of chaos, despite the years of our occupation and the work by the Iraqi authorities. Life there is far from normal, no matter what Dick Cheney and George Bush say. I also suspect the target of the attack was specifically intended to harm American journalists, reinforcing my belief that our presence is doing more harm than good right now.

I expect we will hear more from Ivan Watson on this incident on NPR soon.