ITV News team missing in Iraq

ITN ^ | 22 Mar 2003 | ITN

[Happygal]

Three members of an ITV News team in southern Iraq are missing after coming under fire.

They include correspondent Terry Lloyd, known to millions of viewers.

ITN, which makes ITV News, issued the following statement: "An ITV News crew came under fire at Iman Anas, near Basra as they drove towards the city in two vehicles.

"One of the crew, Daniel Demoustier was injured but was able to get to safety.

"He was not able to see what happened to his colleagues, correspondent Terry Lloyd, Fred Nerac and Hussein Othman. At present they are still missing.

"There were British and Iraqi forces in the area at the time.

"Coalition and Iraqi military sources have been unable to confirm their whereabouts. Every effort is being made to establish what happened."

Separately, a Kurdish official in northern Iraq is reported as saying that a journalist was killed and nine injured in a car bomb.

[Happygal]

Terry Lloyd

[Happygal]

Ivan..you can ping your people if you like :-)

[kinghorse]

Must have awakened a lot of terrorists. Seems like all those "terrorists" like to gravitate to the border of states adjoining Iran. Hmmm.

[Peach]

Is this the group that died in the car bombing that Fox News reported was carried out by AQ? I'm confused because it reports these reporters are "missing". Any info helpful; using newest AQ terrorist attack in Iraq as further validation for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

[Cicero]

One Australian journalist and a couple of Kurdish soldiers were killed by a car bombing in northern Iraq. This sounds different.

[Amerigomag]

using newest AQ terrorist attack in Iraq

This group was operating out of Iraqi Kurdistan, not Saddam's Iraq and does not provide a concrete connection.

[Clara Lou]

I am sorry for any lives lost in this war, be they soldiers' journalists' or civilians' lives. I do think that any journalists wandering Iraq without being embedded with troops is asking for very serious trouble. It's just not a smart thing to do.

[Happygal]

Well, they have an important job documenting the war. Like the war 'artists' of WW1...documenting what the war is like for future generations.

You may feel their job is dumb (and I certainly wouldn't choose it), but I think they give a valuable service too.

[Jeff Head]

I saw an interview with Daniel Demoustier this morning after the event.

Apparently they left the border of Kuwait and Iraq and drove up to Basra. They were with a British armored brigade most of the way, but apparently somehow got separated from them, or in front of them. He said that at some point they noticed that a couple of vehicles behind them were Iraqi and that those vehicles pulled up next to them and gave them a thumbs up and motioned for them to pull over.

he said he and those with him thought they were going to surrender to them. Apparently there were more Iraqis also to their front.

Then he said all heck broke lose and heavy firing commenced. He ducked down in the car as all of their windows were blown out. While down on the floor in the back (I believe he said) he noticed that the opposite door was open and that the correspondent who'd been with him was gone. He hoped he got out safe but did not know. His voice was breaking as he said this.

He said he waited 30 minutes, the car now off the side of the road in a ditch and when a bus came by with other vehicles, he ran to them and they took him to safety.

My thought was these guys should have made sure they stuck with the British. I swear, some of these correspondents must have mush for brains, or they truly believe that they are somehow invulnerable in a combat soon ... which amounts to the same as the former mush.

This fellow was clearly shaken, understandably, and I hope for the best for the other three ... but just you don't go driving around willy nilly in a combat zone looking for interviews. My guess is that allied forces saw the enemy vehicles who had not yet surrendered, identified them, and opened fire ... the one correspondent car, which was not supposed to be there, got caught in the crossifre.

Best regards.

Jeff

[Squantos]

Evolution must be allowed to take it's course and remove stupid people from the gene pool or we have to deal with em as CBS anchors for a loooong time.......:o)

Stay Safe Jeff !!

[PoisedWoman]

I swear, some of these correspondents must have mush for brains, or they truly believe that they are somehow invulnerable in a combat

The ITN news people are so far left, they probably thought that Iraqis would welcome them as friends of Saddam. Many journalists seem to share the belief that war is safely scripted reality tv. Accustomed to viewing the world from their "lofty" positions as commentators, they are not prepared to be part of the real thing. It's sad that they put themselves in harms way.

[IFly4Him]

I'll bet they drove to Baghdad to apply for some new open positions in the Ministry of Information.........

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Media creatures being what they are they probably stripped nude and holding hands walked out among the sand dunes!

[syriacus]

Apparently Lloyd was not entirely PC.


From the Muslim Council of Britain
http://www.mcb.org.uk/archivenews.php

MCB takes media action

Thu 17 Jan 2002

ITN has apologised for its use of the phrase 'Terrorist Capitals'.

The MCB media committee wrote to ITN News in late December 2001 to complain of a TV news REPORT BY THEIR REPORTER TERRY LLOYD who HAD DESCRIBED THE MOVEMENTS OF THE ALLEGED SHOE-BOMBER Richard Reid.

TERRY LLOYD HAD SAID THAT MR. REID HAD VISITED SEVERAL 'TERRORIST CAPITALS during his travels and mentioned Islamabad, Cairo and Istanbul in the same sentence

The MCB have this week received a letter from the Deputy Editor of ITV News, Robin Elias, dated 10th January 2002 in which he has apologised to the MCB and has agreed "that the phrase 'terrorist capitals of the world' was inappropriate."  

[D-fendr]

Saddam's Iraq and does not provide a concrete connection.

If this is the group (Al ansar?) that operated the camp in Northern Iraq, their ties to AQ and Saddam are well documented.

[Happygal]

I can't believe people are being sarcastic about this.

[Happygal]

Well GOOD for him, for not being so, eh? :-)

[syriacus]

Well GOOD for [Lloyd], for not being [entirely PC], eh? :-)

Yep.