More on AP's bogus story tellers

JunkYardBlog:

Taking CENTCOM's list of bogus sources the AP often relies on, originally published in Update VIII of this Flopping Aces post, I notice this name:

Ali al-Obaidi, a medic at Ramadi Hospital, police Maj. Firas Gaiti said.

Hmm...a bogus medic at Ramadi hospital...where have I heard about something at Ramadi recently? Oh yeah...Patterico has just been driving this story into the ground for a week now.

Hey, I just noticed something. The suspicious Ramadi medic shows up in [edit] the AP version of Patterico's story--about how the LA Times manufactured an "air strike" in Ramadi (and dozens of casualties) that CENTCOM denies ever happened. [EDIT] In the AP version,The bogus medic says:

Meanwhile, Ali al-Obaidi, a medic at Ramadi Hospital, said those killed were civilians who died in shelling by U.S. tanks. A police spokesman said 20 people were killed, but gave no information about their identities or how they died.

Hey, I just noticed soemthing else: Ali al-Obaidi isn't the only red-flagged name in that AP article. Also appearing: "police spokesman Mohammed Kheyoun", "police Lt. Maitham Abdul-Razzaq", and "police Brig. Abdul-Karim Ahmed Khalaf". All of those names are under investigation by CENTCOM, except for Razzaq who was proven to be an unauthorized spokesman.

Oh, hey, I just noticed something else. The by-line on that AP report of the Ramadi attack, the one that uses all these questionable or fictitous sources?

(OK, I didn't just notice this, though it wsn't the first thing I noticed. I'm trying to build a little suspense here.)

Of course.Qais Al-Bashir.

...

It's looking like AP Baghdad correspondent Qais al-Bashir is the only one who can see this mysterious, non-existent "Captain Jamil Hussein". Well, it's not for certain yet, but al Bashir is the common element in four stories involving Captain Snuffleupagus. Er, Jamil Hussein:

I've already linked to this AP story from May 27th, bylined Kim Gamel and Qais al-Bashir. It quotes "Capt. Jamil Hussein" and another spokesman named Rassaq, whom CENTCOM said is bogus.

...

It is looking like AP has a real story teller working for them. The wire service seems to have a real problem vetting its reporters. In fact they are doing such a poor job Centcom should require some sort of registration so they can be found when it is found they are actually working for the enemy.

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