Video Shows British Troops 'Under Friendly Fire'

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
London Daily Telegraph
January 5, 2008 By Stephen Adams
Shocking new footage has been posted on the web which appears to show a British Army unit coming within yards of being killed in a 'friendly fire’ incident with an American jet in Afghanistan.
The video clip shows the unit coming under fire from what one renowned arms expert thought was cannon fire from an American A10 jet.
The men are pictured slowly advancing through trenches after a powerful bomb is dropped on the Taliban half a mile or more away. But as they rise to view the explosion they themselves come under fire.
The men’s position is strafed by “intense” aerial cannon fire, said former British Army soldier and arms expert Mike Yardley.
Mr Yardley, a contributing author to the Oxford History of the British Army, said: “Their position appears to come under intense cannon fire. It was a very very close shave.
“From my own experience of being mortared in Afghanistan, I can say it is not a mortar. It’s nothing that the Taliban can throw at them. I am 90 per cent certain it was aerial cannon fire.”
He went on: “It’s almost certainly cannon fire from the gatling gun of an A10 Thunderbolt.”
Its GAU-8 gatling gun is capable of firing more than 4,000 rounds a minute, he said.
The video clip, possibly shot on a mobile phone, was posted on January 3 on the site www.liveleak.com.
The clip was titled: “A10 Close Call”. 'Friendly fire’ - or 'blue-on-blue’ fire as it is also known - from A10 aircraft has been responsible for the deaths of a number of British soldiers.
In March 2003, Lance Corporal Matty Hull, 26, was killed in Iraq when his Scimitar armoured car was attacked by cannon fire from an A10 'Tankbuster’.
Eight American and nine British soldiers were also killed during the Gulf War in 1991 after the crew of an A10 mistook their vehicle for that of the enemy.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said it took friendly fire incidents “very seriously” but could not comment on the video without specific information.
She said: “We are unable able to comment on the contents of this particular video without specific information on the incident.
"The reality of our current operations in Afghanistan is that on a day to day basis our coalition allies are saving British lives with the rapid and targeted air cover they supply.
“They make an enormous contribution to the safety and effectiveness of British forces on operations.
“In addition, we take the risk of friendly fire incidents very seriously and are working actively to prevent them.
"We work closely with our allies on common operating procedures and deploy a wide range of equipment to minimise the risk of incidents.”
 
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