Iraqi Television Again Shows Captured Pilots Denouncing War

Two captured allied pilots appeared on Iraqi Television Wednesday and said they had been afraid to fight Baghdad, Iraqi Radio said.

The radio said U.S. Navy pilot Lt. Jeffrey N. Zaun and Italian air force Capt. Maurizio Coccioline were interviewed in the second such televised display by Iraq of its allied prisoners of war.

“Myself and the other pilots talked about what interest the United States has for going to war,” the radio quoted Zaun as saying.

“We could not find one. This was before the war. And now, we wonder whether American blood can be so cheap in the eyes of our government officials.”

Iraqi Radio, monitored here, quoted the Italian pilot as saying he felt unhappy about flying missions against Iraq. “I knew the strength in the technology of the Iraqi air force . . . and defenses. . . . I was very, very lucky to stay alive.”

In previous film released by Iraq, captured allied pilots with bruises and abrasions read anti-war statements apparently prepared by their captors. Iraq has said the captives will be used as human shields at potential bombing targets throughout the country.

The United States has condemned the display and treatment of POWs and promised to hold Iraqi officials, including President Saddam Hussein, accountable.