The cockpit video at the heart of a row over the "friendly fire" death of a British soldier could now be shown at his inquest, a coroner's official says.
The US believes it can make the cockpit video of the "friendly fire" death of a British soldier available to an inquest, Downing Street has said.
The tape, obtained by the Sun newspaper, is said to show an American aircraft attack on a British convoy.
Lance Corporal of Horse Matty Hull, 25, from Berks, was killed in Iraq in 2003.
Lance Corporal of Horse Matty Hull, 25, from Berks, was killed in Iraq in 2003.
A video, obtained by the Sun newspaper, is said to show the US aircraft attack on a British convoy.
The video was classified "secret" by the US, although a coroner's official said it was felt the tape could be used now it was in the public domain.
Clerk Geoff Webb said coroner Andrew Walker felt that, as the video was now in the public domain, it could be shown when the inquest resumes in March.
The video was classified "secret" by the US, but Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said the UK government wanted the inquest to have access to as much evidence as possible and was working with the US to achieve that.
Classified material
A row over the tape first erupted last week when Oxfordshire Assistant Deputy Coroner Mr Walker launched a furious attack on the MoD for failing to provide a copy to show the court.
It also emerged that L/CoH Hull's family had been assured no such tape existed.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) admitted withholding some classified material but stressed there had been no intention to deceive or mislead.
Mr Webb told the BBC the Sun has promised to give the coroner's court a copy of the video.
Friendly units
BBC News security correspondent Frank Gardner said the release of the video was "deeply embarrassing" to the MoD and the Pentagon.
He said: "This was an error, friendly forces got killed because of mistakes both high and lower down the chain of command."
At the start of the attack in the video obtained by the paper, one pilot notices orange panels on the vehicles and asks whether there could be any friendly units in the area.
His command gives assurances there are no coalition forces in the area.
Pilots open fire but soon the error is realised and they are informed that friendly units were in the area.
They are told: "Abort your mission. You got a, looks we might have a blue-on-blue situation [a friendly fire incident]."
An air controller on the ground says: "We are getting an initial brief that there was one killed and one wounded, over."
One pilot replies: "Copy. RTB [return to base]." A colleague says: "I'm going to be sick."
They then talk about the possibility of being jailed for carrying out the attack.
The first pilot says: "Did you hear?" His colleague replies: "Yeah, this sucks."
"We're in jail, dude," says the first.
The other pilot is audibly upset, saying: "God dammit".
'Important matter'
The attack from the US A-10 "tankbuster" aircraft reportedly killed L/CoH Hull, from the Household Cavalry Regiment, and injured four others near the southern Iraqi city of Basra.
The deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in London, David Johnson, said it might de-classify the video if the military considered it would not put forces at risk in future.
Mrs Beckett said: "The matter is important and needs to be resolved, but we are confident that it will be kept in proportion."
The Liberal Democrats said it was a "test of relations" between the two countries, while the Conservatives said the system of military inquests was "a bit of a shambles".
The Sun has released footage to television and radio stations, but is not giving other websites permission to use clips.
It is not known who leaked the video to the newspaper, but the US government has suggested it is likely to have been a criminal act.
Mr Walker, who was employed on a temporary basis last year to help clear a backlog of military inquests, will not have his contract renewed when it ends in June.
The Department for Constitutional Affairs said it believes extra resources made available can clear the backlog of 85 inquests - 43 still remaining to be heard - by May.
