Report: Navy friendly fire killed UK Marine

[unhappycamper]

Report: Navy friendly fire killed UK Marine
By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Nov 19, 2008 21:57:30 EST

A Navy F/A-18C pilot was acting in “good faith” and with the “best of intentions” when he mistakenly fired on a friendly position in Afghanistan and killed a British Marine in 2006, according to a recent report from the British and U.S. military.

The Navy pilot, whose name was not disclosed, fired more than 200 rounds on the Royal Marines after visually identifying the target but failing to double-check with his electronic “diamond designator” targeting equipment, according to a Royal Navy Board of Inquiry report released Monday.

The pilot was providing close-air support for a Royal Marine platoon getting pounded by rocket-propelled grenades on Dec. 5, 2006, in Garmsir, Helmand Province. The pilot fired 20mm rounds and mistakenly strafed the Marines, killing Jonathan Wigley, 21, the report said.

The British troops were pinned down in a trench during a day-long battle with Taliban insurgents. A U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber, a British Harrier and two British Apache helicopters also fired on Taliban positions that day.

The pilot was an operations officer for Strike Fighter Squadron 131 operating from the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/11/navy_friendlyfire_111908w/%2e



uhc comment: To date one hundred seventy six UK soldiers have been killed in Iraq --> http://icasualties.org/oif/