The Vienna-based watchdog said the joint British-US probe to establish the fate of French cameraman Frederic Nerac and Lebanese interpreter Hussein Othman has "so far yielded little information."

"As a result of the slow-paced inquiries, nearly eight days after their disappearance the relatives and colleagues of Nerac and Othman have yet to be officially informed of their whereabouts or, indeed, their fate," IPI said.

It added that it was "worried that the inquiry ... is not being done in a timely and transparent manner."

"IPI calls on Britain and the United States to carry out a full inquiry into the disappearance of the two journalists and, in the interest of transparency, make the results public as soon as possible."

Nerac and Othman were travelling with veteran British television news correspondent Terry Lloyd when he was killed near the southern Iraqi city of Basra on March 25.

The group apparently came under fire from coalition forces as they tried to cross the front lines.

SPACE.WIRE