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AMERICAN soldiers in Iraq are being given “anti-fratricide” training to reduce the number of friendly fire attacks against British and other coalition troops, The Times has learnt. Thirty-two “blue-on-blue” attacks on British and other coalition vehicles have been logged in the past twelve months in southern Iraq, Britain’s area of responsibility. The training was revealed as Washington and Rome announced a joint inquiry into the killing last week of an Italian secret agent when US troops opened fire on the car in which he was accompanying a freed hostage to Baghdad airport. The inquiry was announced by General George Casey,...

An investigation into the fatal shooting of a Bulgarian soldier in Iraq last week has shown that US troops were probably responsible, the Balkan state's defence minister said today. "Someone started shooting at our patrol from the west, and in the same direction, 150m away, there was a unit from the US army," Nikolai Svinarov told a news conference. "The result (of the investigation) gives us enough grounds to believe the death of rifleman Gurdi Gurdev was caused by friendly fire."

ROME Mar 5, 2005 — Italy demanded answers Saturday as former hostage Giuliana Sgrena was taken off a flight from Iraq wrapped in a plaid blanket and hooked to an intravenous drip for a shoulder wound inflicted when American troops fired on a car taking her to the Baghdad airport. The Italian agent who negotiated her freedom was hit and died in her arms. The shooting at a U.S. checkpoint in Baghdad stoked anti-war sentiment in Italy, where the public was widely opposed to the government's decision to send 3,000 troops to help U.S.-led efforts to secure the country from...

A military investigation has concluded that a "friendly fire" incident in which a Navy pilot was shot down and killed by U.S. forces during the spring 2003 invasion of Iraq occurred because operators at two Patriot missile batteries and a command center all mistakenly took his F/A-18 Hornet for an incoming Iraqi missile, the U.S. Central Command said last night. The April 2003 incident was one of two during the campaign in which Patriot anti-missile batteries mistakenly hit allied aircraft. In the other, in late March 2003, a Patriot destroyed a British Tornado GR4 fighter-bomber near the border of Iraq...

It ended on a stony ridge in fading light. Spec. Pat Tillman lay dying behind a boulder. A young fellow U.S. Army Ranger stretched prone beside him, praying quietly as tracer bullets poured in. "Cease fire! Friendlies!" Tillman cried out. Smoke drifted from a signal grenade Tillman had detonated minutes before in a desperate bid to show his platoon members they were shooting the wrong men. The firing had stopped. Tillman had stood up, chattering in relief. Then the machine gun bursts erupted again. "I could hear the pain in his voice," recalled the young Ranger days later to Army...

Black is BlackBy Jonathan M. Stein  Honesty is clearly the best policy; that is not in question.  However, broadcasting one's honesty isn't always the best politics -- sometimes, in fact, it is incredibly stupid.There is no question that, in general, conservatives are more honest than their liberal counterparts.  However, conservatives have a nasty habit of crowing about just how honest they are, often to their detriment.  Conservatives know when they're right, when they're wrong, when they've done well, and when they've done badly.  That doesn't mean that they have to stand on the rooftops and shout about it.  Loudly letting...

GENEVA: Poland’s President Aleksander Kwasniewski, a staunch ally of the United States in Iraq, criticised US foreign policy on Sunday and said he had warned Washington against trying to dominate Iraq or the world. Kwasniewski told the Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag that he was proud of close ties with the United States as “important allies” especially in the fight against terror groups, but insisted that did not exclude criticism. “And there are some things we do not like: ranging from the reconstruction of Iraq, where the Americans awarded contracts somewhat one-sidedly, to the visa question, which is important for...

The Washington Timeswww.washingtontimes.com U.S. fighter pilot reprimanded for Canadian deathsBy Rowan ScarboroughTHE WASHINGTON TIMESPublished July 7, 2004 The Air Force has harshly reprimanded Air National Guard Maj. Harry Schmidt for a deadly mistaken bombing in Afghanistan in 2002, saying he "flagrantly disregarded" a direct order and "acted shamefully" in not waiting to positively identify the target.     The reprimand from Lt. Gen. Bruce Carlson was unusual in its blunt criticism of the Illinois F-16 pilot.     Maj. Schmidt contended he acted in self-defense when he erred in bombing a training range, killing four Canadian soldiers.     Gen. Carlson's punishment was less than the...

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A U.S. fighter pilot who mistakenly bombed Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan in 2002, killing four, was found guilty Tuesday of dereliction of duty and was reprimanded and docked a month's pay, or nearly $5,700. Maj. Harry Schmidt, 38, "acted shamefully" during the episode, "exhibiting arrogance and a lack of flight discipline," Air Force Lt. Gen. Bruce Carlson wrote in the reprimand. Schmidt, a former instructor at the Navy's "Top Gun" fighter pilot school, had blamed the bombing on the "fog of war," saying he mistook the Canadians' gunfire for an attack by Taliban forces. He said...

The Air Force has decided not to court-martial a U.S. fighter pilot who mistakenly dropped a 500-pound, laser-guided bomb that killed four Canadians in Afghanistan in 2002. Maj. Harry Schmidt, 37, will face nonjudicial punishment and four dereliction-of-duty charges against him will be dismissed in court, the Air Force said Thursday. He could face punishment including 30 days confinement or loss of one month's pay, about $5,600, Air Force spokeswoman Col. Alvina Mitchell said. Schmidt, a 1983 graduate of Vianney High School in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood, Mo., originally was charged with manslaughter and aggravated assault and faced...

U.S. air force dismisses charges against pilot accused in bombing of Canadians 2 hours, 2 minutes ago NEW ORLEANS (CP) - The U.S. air force announced Thursday that it will dismiss all criminal charges against an American fighter pilot who dropped a bomb that killed four Canadians in Afghanistan (news - web sites) in 2002. AFP/Getty Images/HO Photo Maj. Harry Schmidt has accepted an offer to face administrative punishment in exchange for dismissal of four counts of dereliction of duty, the air force said. Schmidt originally was charged with manslaughter and aggravated assault. Military officials recommended the charges be dismissed...

NEW ORLEANS (CP) - All charges will be dismissed against a U.S. fighter pilot who accidentally bombed Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan in 2002, killing four, the air force announced Thursday. Maj. Harry Schmidt has accepted an air force offer to face administrative punishment in exchange for dismissal of four counts of dereliction of duty, according to a statement from the air force. Schmidt had previously declined the same offer. Sgt. Marc Leger, 29, Pte. Nathan Smith, 27, Pte. Richard Green, 22, and Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, 25, died in April 2002 when Schmidt dropped a bomb on a team of Canadian...

US air force dismisses charges against pilot accused in bombing of Canadians Canadian Press Thursday, June 24, 2004 NEW ORLEANS (AP) - All charges will be dismissed against a U.S. fighter pilot who accidentally bombed Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan in 2002, killing four, the air force announced Thursday. Maj. Harry Schmidt has accepted an air force offer to face administrative punishment in exchange for dismissal of four counts of dereliction of duty, according to a statement from the air force. Schmidt had previously declined the same offer.

The older we get, the more we go to funerals for friends and family. As Benjamin Franklin observed, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes.” This isn’t about taxes, nor about the state funeral for former President Ronald Reagan. It’s about Laurie Russell, and about the value of death. Laurie was the wife of a lifelong friend of mine. She was smart and funny, able and wise. She was a positive influence in the lives of all who knew her. Or, I should say, IS a positive influence, because the benefits of who she was and what she did live...

FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- During a pretrial hearing May 10, the defense for Sgt. Hasan Akbar, the Soldier accused of a grenade attack which killed two 101st Airborne Division Soldiers and wounded 14 others last year in Kuwait, requested a change of venue to place the court martial outside the Army. Calling the military a “specialized society” and the Army an even more “specialized subset,” defense attorney Capt. David Coombs also asked the court to strike the entire panel for the trial which was scheduled for mid-July at Fort Bragg. Coombs, speaking on behalf of the four-man defense team, said...

<p>Do you remember that story about the Army Sergeant who fragged his own men just after the invasion of Iraq last year? Let me refresh your memory.</p> <p>Sgt. Hasan Akbar of the 101st Airborne Division lobbed several grenades into the tents of his buddies, killing two and wounding fourteen others. Sgt. Akbar had recently converted to Islam before being assigned overseas prior to the Iraqi invasion and his family members said he was distraught because his fellow platoon members seemingly didn't like him .... so he slipped up to their tent in the night and blew them up.</p>

26 minutes ago Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo! By JAY COHEN, Associated Press Writer FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Former pro football player Pat Tillman was probably killed by friendly fire as he led his team of Army Rangers up a hill during a firefight in Afghanistan (news - web sites) last month, the U.S. Army said Saturday. Tillman walked away from a $3.6 million NFL contract to join the Army after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Previous military statements suggested he was killed April 22 under enemy fire. "While there was no one specific finding of fault,...

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0529tillman29.html

FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- Pat Tillman probably was killed by friendly fire while leading his team of Army Rangers up a hill during a firefight in Afghanistan last month, the U.S. Army said Saturday. Tillman walked away from a $3.6 million NFL contract to join the Army after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Previous military statements suggested he was killed April 22 under enemy fire. "While there was no one specific finding of fault, the investigation results indicate that Cpl. Tillman probably died as a result of friendly fire while his unit was engaged in combat with enemy forces," Lt....

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 March 29, 2004Release Number: 04-03-51 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE A-10 Friendly Fire Investigation Completed MacDill AFB – The investigation into a March 23, 2003 friendly fire incident between U.S. forces is complete. The investigation was thorough and deliberate, and has the concurrence of the CENTCOM leadership. A full copy of the report is available at www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/newsfeatures.asp The investigation, ordered by U.S. Central Command and conducted by U.S. Air Forces, Central Command, thoroughly examined the circumstances surrounding an incident involving a U.S....