Sky News has explained the reason David Chater was able to wander round the Baghdad capital on Wednesday shortly after the entry of US marines into the city - the news organisation had smuggled a digital microwave link into the city when they first arrived.

The channel scored quite a victory of its own, being the first to have a correspondent touring downtown Baghdad having a natter to US soldiers and sometimes confused, sometimes jubilant, sometimes annoyed, Iraqi civilians. Its pictures were also simulcast on America's FOX News Channel.

In a statement, Sky said: "Sky News correspondent David Chater and his crew (Josh Mainka, Milan Antic and Velko Djurovic) interviewed US troops and Baghdad residents, using a portable digital microwave link - which had been smuggled into Baghdad and had been kept hidden from the Iraqi authorities for three months."