Killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan. It is not the first time!
(B2) The French Minister of Defense denied claims by Le Monde that some of the French soldiers who died in an ambush on August 18, 40 km west of Saroubi, between the Kabul and Kapisa regions, had been killed by friendly fire. A hypothesis that is however plausible.
Being killed by friendly fire (friendly fire) has always been a risk in an armed conflict, even more so when the battle lines are not fixed and when it comes to guerrilla or urban actions. It is estimated on average that about 10 to 20% of the losses of modern armies are so (14% in Vietnam). The tension, the confusion which arises from the action or the lack of coordination between the various armies on the ground, or between the ground and the air (in the event of air intervention) multiply the risks not only of reaching soldiers friends but also civilians. Afghanistan, which is increasingly a deadly zone for the soldiers involved (cf. month of June), is no exception if we refer to recent examples.
In Canada, similar doubts are currently being raised following the August 9 death of Joshua Roberts in Zhari district, western Kandahar province. Facing the Canadian soldiers, engaged in a fight with the Taliban, a civilian convoy arrives, escorted by two private security groups. It would be these security guards who would be at the origin of the shootings. Or, at least, some Americans who conducted a preliminary investigation seemed convinced of it, according to Radio Canada. On this site, we see American soldiers asking many questions to the Afghan guards, who answer evasively. And one of the soldiers makes it clear to the camera that the American forces favor the hypothesis that the fire that the Canadians suffered came from these ranks. A commission of inquiry is at work on the Canadian side.
The UK, a commission of inquiry has just completed its work on another case. THE British Ministry of Defense indeed recognized, on August 15, that the death of the corporal spear Mathew Ford of 45th Royal Marine Commando, Garmsir, January 15, 2007, had been killed by friendly fire. Even if "the investigation office was unable to confirm with certainty which weapon fired, [...] the body of evidence made it probable that he had been killed by friendly fire" (read the ministry report). A cause that the ministry did not mention in its first press releases in jJanuary 2007, speaking only of deaths in the very beginning of a major offensive against the Taliban. " His section came under fire as soon as they disembarked from their armored vehicles to cross the river. »
In the Nederlands, Dutch Ministry of Defense confirmed last March that Dutch soldiers had shot two of their own, Wesley Schol and Aldert Poortema, on January 11, 2008, near the southern town of Deh Rawod, during Operation Kapcha. The Dutch units were then engaged against the Taliban. In the "confusion", it seems that the fire was opened from two sides. The traces of 25 mm Dutch bullets, on the other hand, leave little doubt about the origin of the fire.
(NGV)
Photo credit: French Ministry of Defence, UK Ministry of Defense
