A veteran British war correspondent, missing in southern Iraq along with a cameraman and their translator, were presumed dead after being hit by "friendly fire" from allied tanks, according to a newspaper report yesterday.
Journalist Terry Lloyd, 51, cameraman Fred Nerac and translator Hussein Othman, 28, a Lebanese resident in Kuwait, went missing as they were traveling to the southeast Iraqi city of Basra, the immediate objective of US-led forces invading Iraq, Lloyd's employer ITN television news said.
Another cameraman in the crew, Daniel Demoustier, was injured in the incident at the town of Iman Anas, but was able to get to safety.
He was rescued from a roadside ditch by Barbara Jones, a journalist for the Mail on Sunday weekly, who reported that US tanks had fired on the television crew.
Jones said in an article for her paper that Demoustier told her his crew's Jeeps had been fired on by tanks while they were trying to drive away from a group of Iraqi soldiers. The Iraqis had apparently been trying to surrender.
"Immediately the allied tanks started heavy firing directly at us. Rounds were coming straight at the Jeep, smashing the windows and puncturing holes in the bodywork," Demoustier was quoted as saying.
"Then the whole car was on fire. We were enveloped in flames. It was terrifying.
"I'm so angry that we were fired on by the allies. The Iraqis must have been their real target but I'm sure they were surrendering -- and anyway they were all dead within minutes."
ITN said in its evening news program Saturday: "Fourteen hours after the incident, we still have no conclusive evidence as to the whereabouts of the three missing men. However, such evidence as we do have has given us increased cause for concern."
"Of course our thoughts tonight are with the families of Terry, Fred and Hussein Othman."
Britain's Ministry of Defence said that it was still not clear what had happened to Lloyd and his colleagues.
"We are still trying to establish the details of what happened," a spokesman said.
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
REASSURANCE: The US said Taiwan’s interests would not be harmed during the talk and that it remains steadfast in its support for the nation, the foreign minister said US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would bring up Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea this week. “I will be talking about Taiwan [with Xi],” Trump told reporters before he departed for his trip to Asia, adding that he had “a lot of respect for Taiwan.” “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we’ll have a good meeting,” Trump said. Taiwan has long been a contentious issue between the US and China.
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
RSS