'Friendly fire' Iraq video found

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Video footage which is thought to show the moment US planes fired on a British convoy may be shown to the family of a soldier killed in the attack.

The tape, understood to be taken from the cockpit one of the planes that fired on British troops in March 2003, was viewed by Coroner Andrew Walker.

He is hearing the inquest into the death of Lance Corporal Matty Hull, 25, from Berkshire, who died in the attack.

A hearing on Thursday will decide whether it will be played in court.

L/Cpl Hull, Household Cavalry Regiment, died from multiple injuries inside his blazing Scimitar tank, despite efforts by colleagues to save him.

I asked for a 'Stop Stop Stop, check fire' Cpl Ashley Bell

He was travelling in a column of light armoured vehicles near the southern city of Basra when it was reportedly attacked by a US A-10 "tankbuster" aircraft.

Corporal Ashley Bell, who was also in the convoy, earlier told the inquest in Oxford of his shock when the planes continued to bomb the tanks in front of him.

"We started to realise this was a friendly-on-friendly and I got onto the radio," said Cpl Bell.

No response

"I asked for a 'Stop Stop Stop, check fire', at which everyone in our forces is supposed to stop firing."

But he said he got no response from air controllers and the planes attacked again.

He said: "When they came through and engaged again, I got onto the net [radio network] and then screamed a 'Stop stop stop' again.

"However, the British Forward Air Controller basically said they were rogue pilots that were working on their own."

The inquest continues.