On August the 23, 2007 3 British soldiers in Afghanistan were killed by an American fighter jet while on patrol in the Helmand province region. They were the first British soldiers killed by "friendly fire" in Afghanistan. Reasons for why this tragic incident happen are not known. Some claim it was because of "equipment failure" while others claim it was caused by "personnel incorrectly identifying allies." The soldiers were from the 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, that were battling militants for months in Kajaki to repair a hydroelectric dam that would provide two million Afghans with electricity. This is not the first time American airstrikes have fired on allied forces. In 2002, an American pilot dropped a 500 pound bomb near Canandian troops that were conducting a live-fire exercise in Kandahar, Afghanistan; a total of four soldiers were killed. Britain has about 7,000 troops in Afghanistan and most are located around the Helmand province. Althought they do not have as many troops in Afghanistan or Iraq as the U.S., their presence is helping with the war on terror.
With all that has happen in Iraq and Afghanistan, the war on terror is a long war. The end is not insite but is drawing closer everyday. With war comes tragedy and loses that many families will go through. The failure to reconize enemy force from those of allied forces are mistakes that should corrected and publicly reconized. In every war there have always been friendly fire incidence but as time progresses with technology the amount of human errors has decreased. As Philip Caputo once said, "There are no good deaths in war" but no death should come by the firing of your own allies.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070824/ap_on_re_as/afghanistan_friendly_fire
No comments:
Post a Comment