CNN.com – News release quotes from unidentified Iraqis are virtually the same

Sunday, July 24, 2005; Posted: 5:13 p.m. EDT (21:13 GMT)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — The U.S. military on Sunday said it was looking into how virtually identical quotations ended up in two of its news releases about different insurgent attacks.

Following a car bombing in Baghdad on Sunday, the U.S. military issued a statement with a quotation attributed to an unidentified Iraqi that was virtually identical to a quote reacting to an attack on July 13.

After questioning by news media, the military released the statement without the quotation.

Lt. Col. Clifford Kent, spokesman for the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, said use of the quote was an “administrative error.” He said the military was looking into the matter.

The car bomb killed 25 people and wounded 33 others near the al-Rashad police station, Baghdad emergency police said. (Full story)

A statement about the attack by Task Force Baghdad 3rd Infantry Division contained a three-sentence quote attributed to an unidentified Iraqi. The statement said the Iraqi called the attackers “enemies of humanity” and vowed to “take the fight to the terrorists.”

The quote was virtually the same as a quote contained in a Task Force Baghdad 3rd Infantry Division statement released after a car bombing on July 13. That attack killed several children.

The statement about the July 13 attack quoted an unidentified Iraqi saying terrorists were attacking “the children.” In Sunday’s quote, an unidentified Iraqi said terrorists were attacking “the ISF” (Iraqi Security Forces).

Following are the two quotes as provided by the U.S. military in news releases:

Sunday’s news release said: “‘The terrorists are attacking the infrastructure, the ISF and all of Iraq. They are enemies of humanity without religion or any sort of ethics. They have attacked my community today and I will now take the fight to the terrorists,’ said one Iraqi man who preferred not to be identified.”

The July 13 news release said: “‘The terrorists are attacking the infrastructure, the children and all of Iraq,’ said one Iraqi man who preferred not to be identified. ‘They are enemies of humanity without religion or any sort of ethics. They have attacked my community today and I will now take the fight to the terrorists.'”

CNN’s Cal Perry and Kevin Flower contributed to this report.