US crackdown on coffin photos prompts cover-up claims

THE Pentagon has ordered a crackdown on any more images of coffins containing America's war dead being shown in public amid claims the US government is trying to cover up the true cost of the war.

The publication of the pictures first on a website and then in the mainstream media came despite a government ban.

"Quite frankly, we don't want the remains of our service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice to be the subject of any kind of attention that is unwarranted or undignified," said John Molino, a deputy under-secretary of defence.