friendly fire news stories on Newser

Miscommunication Caused Friendly Fire Drone Killings

Mark Russell — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 07:31:08 CDT

The two US servicemen killed by a Predator in April died because Marines on the ground and the Air Force crew operating the drone were not told by analysts elsewhere of doubts about the men's identity, reports the LA Times . The incident occurred on April 6 when a Marine platoon...

Cops Shoot Cop During Potter Cinema Porn Bust

Rob Quinn — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 02:41:00 CDT

A bungled bust outside a movie theater in Connecticut left the suspect and two police officers needing hospital treatment. A pair of officers confronted a suspect wanted on child pornography charges after he left a late-night screening of the new Harry Potter movie. The suspect resisted arrest and reached for...

2 US Troops Killed in Drone Friendly Fire

Rob Quinn — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 05:38:08 CDT

Two American servicemen were killed in Afghanistan last week in what is believed to be the first case of friendly fire deaths involving a Predator drone. The pair were killed by a Hellfire missile after Marines under fire called in a strike, military officials tell NBC. The Marines were viewing...

Rogue Afghan Soldier Kills 3 British Troops

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 07:20:01 CDT

A rogue Afghan soldier fired a rocket-propelled grenade into a group of international forces early this morning, killing three British troops and wounding four others. The Afghan soldier, who used a shoulder-mounted launcher to fire a grenade at around 2am, escaped and is being sought. Afghan President Hamid Karzai sent...

NATO Strike Kills 5 Afghan Troops

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 05:36:00 CDT

NATO mistakenly killed five of its Afghan army allies in an airstrike today while the Afghans were attacking insurgents in the country's east. The Afghan soldiers were launching an ambush before dawn against insurgents in Ghazni province when NATO aircraft began firing on them without warning, the AP reports. An...

NATO Strike Kills Afghan Troops

Caroline Miller — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 07:24:17 CST

'Friendly fire' from NATO air strikes killed 4 Afghan soldiers this morning, as their newly established outpost in an area southwest of Kabul was mistakenly targeted. The Afghan Defense Ministry immediately expressed outrage and called for a court martial for the troops responsible. The Canadian spokesman for the NATO forces...

NATO Airstrike Kills 7 Afghan Soldiers

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:30:16 CST

A NATO airstrike in the western province of Badghis mistakenly hit a joint base housing coalition troops and Afghan security forces, killing four Afghan soldiers and three policemen, Afghan officials said today. An Afghan army commando unit, district police members and foreign forces were in the base in the Bala...

Tillman Parents No Fans of New Afghan General

Rob Quinn — Wed, 13 May 2009 06:19:27 CDT

Pat Tillman's parents say Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal helped cover up the circumstances of their son's death and they want his record carefully considered before he takes charge of the Afghan war, the AP reports. McChrystal approved a citation for Tillman stating he was killed "in the line of devastating...

French Bullet Killed Somali Pirate Hostage

Jason Farago — Mon, 04 May 2009 07:08:36 CDT

French forces who stormed a yacht captured by Somali pirates on April 10 also shot dead one of the five hostages on board, Radio France Internationale reports. Prosecutors had said last month that it was unclear who was responsible for the bullet that killed Florent Lemaçon, who was caught in...