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U.S. Probe Confirms 'Friendly Fire' Deaths of Soldiers in Afghanistan
Saturday, November 9, 2002
(9:20 AEDT)
ABC News Online

This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), AAP(International), APTN, Reuters, CNN and the BBC World Service



"The 'enemy forces' were actually the convoy element led by CW2 Harriman. After ensuring that there were no friendly forces at the grid point they believed they were observing, the AC-130 received permission to engage the 'enemy'." The gunship fired multiple rounds, killing the trio and wounding three US and 14 Afghan troops.

A United States soldier and two Afghan allies were killed by an AC-130 gunship that mistook their convoy for enemies at the start of a U.S. ground offensive in Afghanistan last March, a U.S. probe has concluded.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Stanley Harriman and the two Afghans were killed on March 2 as they were moving into position for Operation Anaconda, an assault on an Al Qaeda stronghold in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.

The investigation found that the crew of the AC-130 Spectre gunship miscalculated their position relative to the ground, causing it to confuse the friendly convoy for enemies.

The US Central Command says the gunship's mission was to fly armed escort and reconnaissance for the convoy.
(More: ABC.net.au News Source)
2002 © Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Dan