The International Federation of Journalists has called on the United Nations to investigate deaths of media staff at the hands of coalition forces in Iraq.
The organisation said the death of Reuters television sound technician Waleed Khaled on Sunday brought to 18 the number of journalists and other members of the media killed by US troops since the invasion of Iraq.
In a letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the IFJ said many of the cases had not been properly investigated.
"Media organizations and journalists' families face a wall of silence and an unfeeling bureaucracy that refuses to give clear and credible answers to questions," said Aidan White, the IFJ's general secretary.
Waleed was killed and a Reuters cameraman was injured Sunday while trying to cover a Baghdad gunbattle involving insurgents and US troops. Police said the men were fired on by American forces.
A statement from the US Army's Task Force Baghdad said troops responded to an attack on an Iraqi police convoy that killed and wounded several officers.
"One civilian was killed and another was wounded by small-arms fire during the attack," the statement said. Officials said the incident was being investigated.
The IFJ is an umbrella organization for journalist organizations in more than 100 nations.
AP