Yet MORE Deaths Cased By U.S Friendly Fire

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U.S. friendly fire kills British troops

Mistaken bombing during firefight fuels debate on heavy use of American air power in Afghanistan

Aug 25, 2007 04:30 AM
Chris Brummitt
Associated Press


KABUL–A U.S. warplane mistakenly dropped a 225-kilogram bomb on British troops after they called for air support in Afghanistan, killing three soldiers and seriously wounding two others in an accident that could re-ignite debate about America's heavy use of air power.

Friendly fire involving U.S. troops has led to the deaths of three British servicemen in the current Iraq war, but the incident Thursday night was the first confirmed case between the two forces in Afghanistan. British officials said they were investigating the error, which comes amid growing concerns about civilian deaths from U.S. air strikes.

The troops were patrolling northwest of Kajaki, a militant hotspot in southern Helmand province, when they were attacked by Taliban fighters, Britain's Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

"During the intense engagement that ensued, close air support was called in from two U.S. F15 aircraft to repel the enemy. One bomb was dropped and it is believed the explosion killed the three soldiers."

In Washington, a Pentagon official said initial reports were the air strike was called in by a British forward air controller.

The incident has to be carefully investigated to try to learn where the problem arose, the official said.

British Defence Secretary Des Browne declined to speculate on the cause of the friendly fire, saying he did not want "to get into a situation where we are blaming each other."

Canadian troops have been on the wrong end of American fire in Afghanistan at least three times with fatal results.

The worst incident occurred in April 2002 when four soldiers were killed after an American F-16 pilot on a night patrol dropped a bomb on Canadian troops conducting a live-fire training exercise near Kandahar City.

In March 2006, another soldier died when he was accidentally machine-gunned by U.S. special forces during a firefight with the insurgents in southern Afghanistan.

On Sept. 4, 2006, one Canadian soldier was killed and dozens wounded when they were strafed by an American A-10A attack plane during a major Canadian military offensive dubbed Operation Medusa in the Panjwaii district.

In the most famous friendly fire case of the Afghan conflict, Pat Tillman, the former NFL player who became a U.S. Army Ranger, was killed in April 2004 by fellow troops near the Pakistani border.

And in August 2006, a bomb mistakenly dropped by coalition aircraft killed 10 Afghan police officers on a patrol in the country's southeast. The cause of that incident has never been established.

Afghanistan's rugged terrain and poor roads, as well as a shortage of ground troops, have forced the U.S. to rely heavily on air power in the fight against Taliban and other militants. Air strikes have led to the deaths of hundreds of civilians over the last two years, undermining efforts to win the trust of Afghans – key to victory in any insurgency, experts say.