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The Pentagon has taken the highly unusual step of changing the status of a fighter pilot lost in the Gulf War from "killed" to "missing in action".
As the 10th anniversary of the conflict approaches, the United States has highlighted the case of Lieutenant-Commander Michael Speicher by demanding that the Iraqi Government reveal what it knows about his fate.
Lieutenant Speicher was the first American casualty of the Gulf War.
 Michael Speicher was shot down in an F-18 fighter on the opening night of the war |
However, Pentagon officials now believe there is substantial evidence he may not have died at the scene.
It is understood that the aircraft canopy was found some way from the main wreckage and that a man-made symbol was spotted at the crash site, indicating that the pilot could have managed to eject.
There is no evidence to suggest that Speicher is still alive, but he was the only American killed on Iraqi territory whose remains were not recovered.
The State Department has now sent a series of diplomatic notes to Baghdad demanding that the Iraqi Government reveal anything it knows about the pilot's fate.
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