Iraq War: Extreme censorship and the death of Terry Lloyd

Interesting stuff this, suggesting that the US and UK military may have gone to extreme measures to ensure that indepedent journalists didn’t operate in Iraq during the invasion:

One of Britain’s most experienced television correspondents was unlawfully killed by U.S. soldiers in Iraq, an inquest into his death ruled on Friday. Veteran war correspondent Terry Lloyd, 50, who worked for ITN, was killed in March 2003 in southern Iraq as he reported from the front line during the first few days of the U.S.-led invasion.

…

…the driver of a minibus which took Lloyd to hospital, said Lloyd had been shot in the shoulder and his arm was broken from the initial exchange of fire but he had been able to walk to the vehicle. However, the driver said U.S. troops, possibly firing from a helicopter, had shot the journalist in the head while the vehicle was leaving the scene.

During the 10-day hearing, the inquest was also shown footage of the aftermath of the attack, taken by a cameraman attached to the unit accused of firing on Lloyd. A British Royal Military Police investigator said an expert estimated 15 minutes of film might have been cut from the beginning of the tape.

ITN bosses told the court that information might have been withheld about the incident, saying it was felt that both the U.S. and British military did not want “unilateral” journalists — those operating independent of troops rather than embedded with them — working in war zones. No U.S. soldiers agreed to appear at the inquest to give evidence.

U.S. troops “unlawfully killed” Terry Lloyd
Wikipedia: Terry Lloyd

daev

Chief Bottle Washer at Blather

Writer, photographer, environmental campaigner and "known troublemaker" Dave Walsh is the founder of Blather.net, described both as "possibly the most arrogant and depraved website to be found either side of the majestic Shannon River", and "the nicest website circulating in Ireland". Half Irishman, half-bicycle. He lives in southern Irish city of Barcelona.