BBC's Simpson wounded in US friendly fire attack

BBC journalist John Simpson was wounded today in an apparent friendly fire bombing of an American and Kurdish convoy that killed up to 12 people.

Simpson, who filed a report within minutes of the attack, in northern Iraq, described “a scene from hell” as bodies littered the dusty roadside amid the burning wrecks of the convoy.

The 59-year-old said he counted 10 or 12 bodies among the carnage, including American troops, after a US fighter jet dropped the bomb within just a few feet of him and his crew.

Among those seriously injured was a senior Kurdish official – “the brother of the top man” – and a local translator travelling with the BBC team.

“It’s a disaster,” he said. “A convoy of eight or 10 cars in northern Iraq was coming up to a place which has just recently been captured.

“This is just a scene from hell here, all the vehicles are on fire, there are bodies burning, there are bodies lying around, there are bits of bodies on the ground.

“We don’t know how many Americans are dead, there’s ammunition exploding from some of these cars.”

As he attempted to break the news live on BBC, Simpson, who said he was hit in the leg and bleeding from his ear, was approached by a US medic offering him first aid.

But he carried on, adding: “I think I got a bit of shrapnel in the leg. I thought he was going to stop me from making my report but he’s one of the US special forces medics.”

It is not yet known how many American soldiers have been killed in the attack which Simpson described as “a really bad own goal”.

He added: “They hit their own people. They’ve killed a lot of ordinary characters. I’m just looking at the bodies now and it’s not a very pretty sight.”

US Central Command said in a statement, reported by AP: “Three US service members were killed and five wounded in a possible friendly fire incident involving an F-15E Strike Eagle and coalition ground forces.”

It gave no details on Kurdish casualties or the location of the attack.

Simpson, whose career has spanning more than 30 years, is the senior member of a team of London-based foreign and specialist correspondents.

During his career he has reported from more than 100 countries across the globe, from 30 war zones, including Afghanistan and Belgrade and has interviewed numerous world leaders.

And he was one of only a handful of journalists to remain in the Serbian capital when the authorities expelled those from Nato countries at the start of the conflict.

He was appointed World Affairs Editor in 1988 following periods as Diplomatic Editor and presenter of the Nine O’Clock News.