the bombardment, the late British Writer, Robert Fisk, confirmed he had access to the said communique. He criticised Clark’s let- ter of condolences to Al-Ali as it lacked any clarification on why Al Jazeera Director’s communique was overlooked (1) . In October 2006, the “Daily Mirror” reported former UK Home Secretary, David Blunkett, “admitted he urged Tony Blair to break interna- tional law and bomb Al Jazeera’s Baghdad TV transmitter during the Iraq war» because “it was attempting to win a propaganda battle on behalf of the enemy”. He stressed that network being a civilian target was not a source of concern for him. Daily Mirror quoted the Minister saying, “I don’t think that there are targets in a war that you can rule out because you don’t actually have military personnel inside them” (2) . The bombing of Al Jazeera’s office, which took place only two weeks after the exchange between Blunkett and Blair, result- ed in the killing of the channel’s correspondent and injuring a cameraman. However, it is not confirmed whether the incitement and the bombardment were linked. Almost a year before the 2006 report, the Daily Mirror published in November 2005, informa- tion on a leaked official British document revealing that former US president George W. Bush, had suggested, in the Spring of 2004, to Tony Blair to bomb the Doha-based Al Jazeera headquar- ters. (3) In an internal inquiry within his party, Blair did not confirm or deny that information, but rather dismissed it by saying “the (1) Robert Fisk, “Did the U.S. Murder these Journalists?” The Guardian , (26 April 2003): https://web.archive.org/web/20060527001604/http://www.sfbg.com/wartime/fisk_journalists. html/ (accessed 15 November 2020). (2) “Blunkett: We Must Bomb Al-Jazeera TV”, Daily Mirror , (12 October 2006): https:// www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/blunkett-we-must-bomb-al-jazeera-tv-703191/ (accessed 15 November 2020). (3) “Bomb Al-Jazeera Leak: Accused Pair in Court”, Daily Mirror , (30 November 2005): https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16429146&method=full&siteid=94762&head- line=bomb-al-jazeera-leak--accused-pair-in-court--name_page.html/ (accessed 15 November 2020).
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