US 'weekend warrior' reported ground fire
A US National Guard pilot who mistook Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan for enemy forces thought he was acting in self-defence when he dropped a 500lbs bomb on them, killing four and wounding eight, US officials said.
As an investigation was launched, the key question was why the Americans did not know the Canadians were training in the area.
President George Bush conveyed his nation’s regret to Prime Minister Jean Chretien, and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said US and Canadian officers would work together to find out exactly what happened.
The troops were the first Canadians killed in combat since the Vietnam War.
In a brief announcement, Central Command in Tampa, Florida, said an Air National Guard F-16 aircraft dropped one or two laser-guided bombs on the Canadians, but it offered no other details.
Pentagon officials said the Canadians were conducting a night-time, live-fire exercise near the southern Afghan city of Kandahar.
The pilot’s name was not released, as is usual US military procedure for accident investigations.
The jet, flying in tandem with another American F-16, had been sent out on patrol. It was unclear whether they had been given any other mission.
It appeared the pilots did not know they were flying over an area restricted to training - and so fire from the training exercise made them believe they were under attack, officials at the Pentagon said. All forces operating in the Kandahar area are supposed to be aware of friendly forces.
One of the pilots sought permission to bomb and was told to mark the target but not fire, a senior Pentagon official said. On a second fly-around, after reporting he was taking ground fire, he dropped the bomb in what he thought was self-defence.
Canadian Defence Minister Art Eggleton, who called the deaths shocking, said one of the injured had life-threatening wounds and the other seven were in stable condition.
Chretien addressed the national Parliament in Ottawa.
‘‘We have so many questions this morning,’’ he said. ‘‘Extensive training for combat is meant to save lives. How does this happen? In this awful case it took so many lives, and I want to assure the families and the people of Canada that these questions will be answered.’’
