British TV journalist 'unlawfully killed' by US forces in Iraq (Roundup) [Murder charges sought.]

Deutsche Presse-Agentur by way of Monsters and Critics ^ | 13OCT06 | Deutsche Presse-Agentur

[familyop]

London - British television journalist Terry Lloyd was 'unlawfully killed' by US forces in southern Iraq in 2003, an inquest by a coroner in Britain concluded Friday.

Lloyd, who was 50 when he died, had 'disappeared in a hail of American tank fire' as he and three colleagues approached the southern Iraqi port of Basra on a highway on March 22, 2003, the inquest report said.

His wife, Lynn, and daughter Chelsey Friday called for the US marine who opened fire on Lloyd's convoy to face murder charges.

'The marines who fired on civilians and those who gave the orders should now stand trial under the Geneva Conventions Act,' a statement read out by the widow's lawyer said.

In Washington, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the Pentagon investigated the death and concluded that US soldiers were operating within the rules of engagement.

'It was a tragic circumstance that occurred in a war zone,' he said.

The inquest heard that Lloyd, who worked for the independent ITV television network, was shot in the back by an Iraqi machine gun.

As he was evacuated in a makeshift ambulance, he was shot again in the head by American forces.

'It was an American bullet that killed my father,' teenage daughter Chelsey said in a statement outside court.

A statement read out by solicitors on behalf of the widow said: 'The verdict of unlawful killing was inescapable and came about because US forces appear to have allowed their soldiers to behave like trigger-happy cowboys.'

Lloyd's Lebanese interpreter Hussein Osman was later found and buried while French cameraman Fred Nerac is still officially missing. Belgian cameraman Daniel survived and gave crucial evidence at the inquest.

[hershey]

Tragic, (but the family may be looking for a payday). However, any newsperson who ventures into a firezone should expect flying bullets. If Saddam's pals had shot him, would the family be issuing like statements? Or is this another opportunistic PC anti-American hit piece.

[SIDENET]

'It was an American bullet that killed my father,'

US forces appear to have allowed their soldiers to behave like trigger-happy cowboys.'

Gee, this doesn't read like a vehicle for anti-Americanism. < s>

[familyop]

"Or is this another opportunistic PC anti-American hit piece."

It's hard news, but your words do describe the illegitimate efforts against our soldiers and against our nation. That story ran in most if not all of the papers over there the last day or two. Here's a link to news of another case (one of several).

UK official seeks trial for IDF officers
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1613059/posts


...and some demographic information.

British Conservatives Must Defend the U.S.–U.K. Special Relationship"
The Heritage Foundation ^ | 28AUG06 | Nile Gardiner, Ph.D.
[Follow the link for the article.]

Excerpted footnotes:


[1] YouGov/Spectator Survey, August 14-15, 2006, at
http://www.yougov.com/archives/pdf/SpectatorPollResults.pdf.


[2] ICM/Guardian Poll, July 21-23, 2006, at
http://www.icmresearch.co.uk/reviews/2006/Guardian%20-%20July/guardian
-july-2006.asp.


[3] YouGov/Daily Telegraph Survey, June 26-28, 2006, at

http://www.yougov.com/archives/pdf/TEL060101010_3.pdf#search=%22
you%20gov%20daily%20telegraph%2026th-28th%20june%202006%22;
Anthony King, “Britain Falls Out of Love with America,” The Daily Telegraph, July 3, 2006, at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/07/03
/nyank103.xml.


[4] Financial Times/Harris Poll of Adults in Five European Countries, August 21, 2006, at http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1081.


[5] Liam Fox MP, “Security and Defense: Making Sense of the Special Relationship,” Heritage Lecture No. 939, April 27, 2006, at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Europe/hl939.cfm.


[6] Julian Glover, “Tories Open Nine-Point Lead as Labour Drops to 19-Year Low,” The Guardian, August 22, 2006, at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,
1855567,00.html.

[Dallas59]

IT'S A WAR!

Everybody gets shot.

[patj]

Let us all sue the British, French, Germans, Belgians, etc. for all our relatives that were killed, accidentally, defending them.

[MNJohnnie]

Good luck pressing charges for an collateral damage event that happened in a combat zone. Frankly they should be counter sued for wasting time and resources on nonsense law suits.

[insider_uk]

Here we go again.

[insider_uk]

Everybody gets shot.

Not by your alledged allies though.

[insider_uk]

Frankly they should be counter sued for wasting time and resources on nonsense law suits.

This was the verdict at an inquest, by a coroner, not a law suit.

[Caipirabob]

Tragic. You have to admire the courage of reporters willing to brave the obvious dangers of front line reporting. Sadly, too many consider such combat as a story and without regard nor respect of the actual danger involved. I don't think that this was the case in Terry Lloyd's case, he apparently had a great deal of experience in this area as must have been well acquainted with the facts of the situation. All the more tragic for his loss.

It's a pity his family feels so bitter towards our country. We can't turn back bullets at the last minute once they're fired and our rules of engagement are such that it poses a dire threat to the safety of our own troops. I suspect the situation waranted such a reponse from our troops and it's simply not being reported that way. I'm terribly sorry that this reporter was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[Westbrook]

So, when are the relatives of the Brits who died in the subway and bus bombings going to sue the British Muslim societies for inciting members of their flock to blow up their relatives?

And how about suing Qaddafi for the Pan Am 109 bombing over Lockerbie?

Those were DELIBERATE acts resulting in massive loss of life.

.

[Ninian Dryhope]

"Or is this another opportunistic PC anti-American hit piece."

You got it.

The reporters went into a war zone looking for trouble. They found more than they were looking for. Too bad, but that is exactly the sort of risk this guy knew he was taking.

[Caipirabob]

So, when are the relatives of the Brits who died in the subway and bus bombings going to sue the British Muslim societies for inciting members of their flock to blow up their relatives?

Good point and eye opening. If the West wasn't under the assault of terrorist madmen, this wouldn't have happened. Sad that people are so inclined as to pursue to the United States as the enemy.

Still, my prayers go up for the mourning family. Britain will care for their own so I know they will be OK. Sadly, regardless of the circumstances, a father has been lost. Those wounds won't heal any time soon. Let's also hope that in the end, they recognize who the real enemy is.

[Ninian Dryhope]

Independent reporters have no allies and in any case, as the story points out, he was shot in the back by Iraqi soldiers, ras clot.

[moonman]

I read an article years back that stated 20% of all American deaths in W.W.2 were from friendly fire from Allied troops.

How can we wage and win any war with this kind of chit surfacing each week.

[Ninian Dryhope]

"This was the verdict at an inquest, by a coroner, not a law suit."

Must a lot of anti-American, commie, coroners over in England these days. Pity that England's best days are long behind her. She was once great and now is is what she is, pitiful.

[YOUGOTIT]

Has nothing to do with the death it is another act of anti-American treason by the pro terrorist left wing fascist of Old Europe against the American people who kept them free, and since hindsight is 20/20 vision we might have been better off with letting the Communist have them.

[Ninian Dryhope]

"Sadly, regardless of the circumstances, a father has been lost."

The father should have taken that possibility into account before he decided to go driving around a war zone looking for trouble, rather than go embedded with the troops, as did the other journalists.

[Ninian Dryhope]

"since hindsight is 20/20 vision we might have been better off with letting the Communist have them."

You mean let the Huns or Nazis have them, don't you? The commies already have them and are running the BBC. The Labor party is a socialist party and the Tories are only a jot less commie.