'Friendly fire' incidents in Afghanistan

[Gromit]

Today, there are reports of the US killing three women and a baby in a tragic accident in Afghanstan. Earlier this week, 11 Pakistan border guards were killed by US forces.

Which got me wondering, at the weekend, the number of British fatalities in Afghanistan reached 100 deaths. Does anyone have any figures as to how many of those were the result of 'friendly-fire'?

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/arti cle710650.ece

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/aug/24/af ghanistan.military

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1561150 /Three-British-soldiers-die-in-'friendly-fire' .html

[4GS]

Gromit, the most recent incident was the incident where 3 members of 2 Royal Anglian Regt were killed when they called in 'fast air support', a missile exploded close to where they were taking cover killing 2 instantly and another very shortly after despite the desperate efforts of the patrol medic.

This was show recently on Sky 1's 'Ross Kemp in Afghanistan'.

Another was when a member of 3 Parachute Regt was shot by his own guys when he went to attack from the flank some Taliban who were pinning down his patrol with small arms fire, he appeared beside the enemy as his guys were engaging them in sniper fire. Unfortunately this type of incident happens quite frequently in the heat of battle

I don't have figures for any other incidents

[Gromit]

Thanks 4GS, I was hoping you were around.

I'm sure the numbers are low (still more than they should be) but it would be interesting to know.

[Dr-Legend]

Sadly ithink friendly fire is a byproduct of modern warfare where things can happen so fast and the slightest breakdown in communication leaves soldiers as prepared as they were in the past.
I think that on reflection friendly fire will never equal the numbers of soldiers sent into battle as cannon fodder as in charge of light brigade , or the battle of the somme.
There are probably far more and when you take them into account friendly fire though regrettable isnt the worst that happens to soldiers.

The incident on ross kemp in afghanistan showed how easy it is the soldiers were possiobly 10 metres in thewrong direction when the us jets dropped the bombs.
If theyd been the other side of the wall with their mates theyd have survived.
Such is the risk nowadays .

[Gromit]

Newsdesk,

I am not suggesting they are hushed up, I just wondered how many. I did try and google it, and got individual incidents (links above) but not a tally of all those killed by our own.

[firewatch]

I have a friend who has served in afghanistan, i would be heart broken for anything to happen to him.
The blue on blue incidents happen and as said i think will reoccur time and again due to the bloody nature of the wars we fight these days.

But there is a saying i have heard more than once, only the Americans go in training with coffins.I wonder how many they have had?

[Dr-Legend]

I dont see the point in hushing them up.
theyve always happened its just that now they are reported more than before.
i refer you to a post by clarion st who said the sinking of some navy ships is sealed from 19444 for 100 years ?

some might suspect a coverup
1500 drowned i believe though clarion has the relevant facts available i believe he was at a memorial service for the dead sailors.

[4GS]

PS
There is no such thing as 'friendly fire', the military call it a 'blue on blue'.

Losing guys in a hot contact is bad enough, but believe me, losing them in in the same incident by our own guys is devastating and harder to come to terms with.

[Dr-Legend]

Im sure as you know its a fact of w3arfare john.


As long as wars are fought these type of deaths will continue .
Its a fact of war .

[Booldawg]

I wonder how rife 'blue on blues' were in WW2? I doubt we heard much about them in media as in those days they keen to boost the morale and hope of the British back home.

[4GS]

Booldawg,
There was an incident just days before D Day, during the rehearsals for the landings the Royal Navy opened fire on what they thought were German Navy K boats which turned out to be landing craft full of American Gi's, I'm not sure how many were killed but I think I read somewhere that it was 500+

At the time it was reported that the Germans had attacked the landing craft in bad weather, this news release was, as you said, so as not to undermine morale, and so there would be no bad feeling between allies.

Nowadays most blue on blues seem to involve the Americans, just shows how time change eh?

[Gromit]

The term Blue on blue is relatively new. Friendly Fire or Fog of War were previously used. It dervived from NATO war games exercises. NATO troops had blue helmets, and the Ruskis Orange.

[Gromit]

4GS

Couldn't find the incident you refered to, but found this, post D-Day...

http://www.maritimequest.com/daily_event_archi ve/2007/pages/aug/27_1st_minesweeper_flotilla. htm

[jake-the-peg]

Is it friendly fire when the police accidently shoot each other?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/artic le4099751.ece

[4GS]

No Jake, that could be called a negligent discharge it's only termed 'friendly fire' whilst armed forces are actively engaged in warlike operations.

Police and Armed Forces training exercises are not included in that category

[jno]

My recollection is that when friendly fire hearings were under way after the first Gulf war, it turned out more British soldiers had been killed by Americans than by Iraqis. Provoking if true.

[sp1214]

Without knowing too much about individual conflicts is it beyond the planners to ensure their own forces are backed up by their own aircraft? If we can't afford it we shouldn't be there.

[jake-the-peg]

Ah,

One of those irregular verbs

My Friendly fire incident
Your Negligent discharge
His trigger happy finger

[mike1222]

4GS is probably referring to the "Slapton Sands Incident"

Blue on Blues have always occurred, but have usually been hushed up, at least temporarily, for the good of morale.

[anotheoldgit]

Slapton Sands incident, no mention of Blues on Blues here.

http://30thinfantry.org/exercise-tiger.shtml