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| Iraq | |
| US insists British “friendly fire” death was “a tragic accident” | |
| 2007-03-17 | |
| WASHINGTON - The US Defense Department on Friday reaffirmed its finding that a British soldier’s death in a ”friendly fire” attack in Iraq was “a tragic accident” after a British coroner ruled it was criminal. British coroner Andrew Walker said he found “no lawful authority” for the air attack on a convoy in March 2003 that killed Lance Corporal Matty Hull. Walker criticized the US military for not cooperating with the inquest. A Pentagon statement extended “deepest sympathies” to Hull’s family but defended the finding of its own investigation and said it had shared all information developed during the probe with British military authorities. “In addition, that report -- with the portions that are not releasable for security, privacy or other reasons redacted -- was provided to the MoD (Ministry of Defense) for release to the Hull family,” it said. “The US government has worked with the UK MoD to share information with the coroner that was not protected from release because it is classified or otherwise protected information,” it said. It said its investigation was “thorough and conducted according to the same processes and same standards as would be used in the investigation of a friendly fire incident involving the death of an American military member. “The investigation determined that the incident took place in a complex combat environment, the pilots followed applicable procedures and processes for engaging targets, believing they were engaging enemy targets, and that this was a tragic accident,” it said. The high-profile inquest, in Oxford, south central England, heard how the pilot of one of two US A-10 “tankbuster” planes swooped and opened fire on Hull’s clearly-marked armored vehicle convoy in southern Iraq on March 28, 2003. “It was unlawful because there was no lawful reason for it and in that respect it was criminal,” Walker said.
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 thanks Quincey, now STFU |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-03-17 09:40 |