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Britain angry over U.S. “friendly fire”

LONDON: British-U.S. relations, already under pressure following American criticism of Britain’s planned gradual withdrawal from Iraq, took another hit on Saturday after three British soldiers were killed in Afghanistan in a “friendly fire” involving U.S. bomber jets.

This happened when two U.S. Air Force fighter planes called in by a British unit, under attack from Taliban militants in Helmund province, instead of bombing the Taliban positions mistakenly dropped bombs on their British allies, killing three.

The incident, latest in a series of “friendly fire” attacks on British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, provoked anger here prompting calls for the Government to seek an explanation from American authorities.

British soldiers on the ground were reported as saying that their tanks were clearly visible and criticised the American pilot involved in the incident for failing to recognise them.

“British soldiers who survived the attack criticised the U.S. pilot for apparently failing to recognise that their tanks were a British make, with special coalition identification aids and even a large Union flag on another machine in the five-vehicle convoy,” The Independent said, recalling that the media and Iraqi police had also been victims of American attacks.

The most high-profile case was of British television correspondent Terry Lloyd who was shot dead by American forces in 2003 and an inquest in Britain returned a verdict of unlawful killing.

Amid growing criticism of U.S. tactics, Tories demanded that the British Government ask for the cockpit recorder of the American plane involved in the incident which came barely months after a Royal Marine Jonathan Wigley was killed in a “friendly fire” in the same province.

Defence Secretary Des Browne said he was “very saddened” by the deaths of three British soldiers but sought to soften the blow claiming that such incidents were “rare”. He said it be would fully investigated. The U.S. government also promised a full investigation.

“We will investigate this tragic incident thoroughly with our British allies. We are committed to making information available as quickly as possible,” said Kurt Volker, the U.S. principal deputy assistant secretary of state for European Affairs.

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