Coroner demands explanation in 'friendly fire' death


Press Association
Thursday February 1, 2007
Guardian Unlimited


Oxford Coroner Andrew Walker today launched an outspoken attack on the Ministry of Defence for failing to provide answers to the grieving family of Lance Corporal Matty Hull about how he died when US forces opened fire on his tank in Iraq.
The inquest heard one of the US pilots who opened fire on the column of British tanks say he did not want to be "the first guy shot down during the war" on a taped interview.


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L/Cpl Matty Hull, 25, was killed, while four other British soldiers were injured, in the "friendly fire" incident near Basra on March 28 2003.
The tape played at the inquest was from a series of interviews involving the pilots and US military investigators.

The pilots claim there was confusion over their intended targets, frustration at conflicting orders and poor communications with air controllers on the ground.

All references to the pilots' names are blacked out to protect their identities, but they are described as a lieutenant colonel and his flight commander, a major, of the 190th Air Fighter squadron.

The pilots say they opened fire on the British tank convoy because they believed they had rockets on top, pointed into the sky.

According to the British military board of inquiry into the incident, these "rockets" may have been extra measures - in addition to standard day-glo panels - taken by the troops to protect themselves against friendly fire incidents.

The US major told investigators: "The shadowing that I saw... I couldn't quite... I wasn't low enough, you know I was kind of concerned about having a manpad [man portable defence system] shot at me.

"We were briefed ... threats to the south-east of there, and I didn't want to be the first guy shot down during the war. The bottom line is... I didn't want to, while I was trying to ID them as best I could, I didn't want to put the aircraft in a position where it was going to be an easy target."

Oxfordshire's assistant deputy coroner, Andrew Walker, heard evidence in which both pilots, flying A-10 Thunderbolt tankbusters, claimed they were told twice by their Forward Air Controller (FAC) that they were "well clear" of "friendlies" before they attacked the convoy.

However, the inquest heard they were earlier warned as they approach another target, suspected Iraqi missile launchers, that there are "friendlies" 3km to the west.

The same description of these "friendlies", described as small yellow British tanks by an FAC, was given after they attacked the convoy.

"I think it was after the second pass [to attack] we come off, that's when he's telling us about them again," the US Lt/Col told his interviewers. "I'm like, 'Ok, that's kind of unusual. Why are you saying there's friendlies here now?'"

He said that as he rose away from his target, he saw red smoke, released by coalition forces after there has been a friendly fire incident.

It appeared from the interview that the pilot was not sure of the meaning of the smoke. He said he knew that something was "definitely wrong", when he saw it.

The inquest also heard that while both the US pilots ere experienced, neither had worked in conflict situations before.

The major told investigators that they spent nearly an hour trying to locate their previous target because "my biggest concern here is shooting or doing something that's going to hurt someone that we don't want".

The British board of inquiry found that the major authorised the pilot to attack, but no authorisation was given by controllers on the ground.

The major said that, after the Lt/Col attacked for a second time, "(An FAC) comes up starts talking to me about friendlies.... At that point I'm thinking, 'oh jeez'."

The coroner is yet to decide whether he will play another tape of a cockpit recording of the two pilots talking to each other, in open court.

The hearing continues.

The problem with mixing monkey dust ignorance with the lack of experience, knowledge and facts, is the absences of experience, knowledge and facts, leaves the ignorance of the monkey dust mentality, so unclothed and unbecoming in its obtused unaware nakedness.


Now for some informed facts in reality

Where is the outrage and condemnation to hang the American Pilots eh, HuH? and Gomer, Vonpieles NOW.

When so easily given way to a less developed form in the aforementioned residuals, as a cockney wanker of “Perfidious Albion.

A mentality so well vested and exampled in the lucidity of that anti-American Euro-skeptic Doomocracy, when s h I t happens in the fog of war, only when Americans do it, but silent in outrage, when the euro-skeptic’s of mediocrity and impotency. do it?

Danish Soldiers Died From British `Friendly Fire,' TV2 Reports

By Tasneem Brogger

Nov. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Two Danish soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan in September were the victims of so-called ``friendly fire'' from British troops, TV2 reported, without saying how it obtained the information.
British troops fired between six and eight heat-detecting missiles at a Danish military unit, TV2 said. The first missile was fired at the Danes at 9:28 p.m. local time on Sept. 26, killing Constable Thorbjoern Reese, while another missile was fired at 10:24 p.m., killing Constable Mikkel Keil Soerensen, TV2 said.

Danish troops didn't realize they were being fired on by U.K. forces until they identified the missile remains as belonging to the British after the attack, TV2 said. Danish and British auditors have yet to complete an official investigation into the matter, TV2 said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tasneem Brogger in Copenhagen at tbrogger@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: November 26, 2007 03:18 EST


http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206....3PulU&refer=uk

That is All!1

I'm starting to get real dissapointed with the Brits. Seems like the "stiff upper lip" is gone and they have reverted to the whiney little cowards of the Neville Chamberlain era. However I will not give up on our spineless allies. As in WWII a backbone will form once the human losses and cowardly justifications of such become untenable. It's just the way of the Brits.................