Высокоточное оружие, лазерное наведение... в результате бьют по своим
Приветствую
Опять американское "высокоточное оружие" отличилось - убили четверых канадцев, по ошибке разбомбив их позицию в Афганистане. Все-таки, уж не миф ли все эти "лазерные наводки" для вышибания денег в пользу промышленности боеприпасов? А?
ВОт текст от AP
Canadian forces killed in errant U.S. bombing in Afghanistan
Thu Apr 18, 1:21 AM ET
By KEN GUGGENHEIM, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - An American fighter jet mistakenly dropped at least one laser-guided bomb on Canadian forces in Afghanistan (news - web sites) during a live-fire training exercise Wednesday. Canadian officials said four soldiers were killed and eight were injured.
Navy Commander Frank Merriman, spokesman for Central Command in Tampa, Florida, said an Air National Guard F-16 dropped one or two 500-pound (250-kilogram) bombs near Kandahar, a former Taliban stronghold.
Neither U.S. nor Canadian officials had information about what caused the error. The countries plan a joint investigation.
"How this can happen is a mystery to us. Without a doubt, there was a misidentification," Canada's defense chief, Lt. Gen. Ray Henault told reporters in Ottawa.
Canadian defense officials said their soldiers were on a nighttime training exercise about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of their Kandahar base when the bombing occurred.
Henault said the area is recognized as a training area and the aircraft were using very strictly controlled routes.
Asked whether the U.S. plane was involved in the exercise, Henault said although he didn't have all the details yet, "my understanding is that this aircraft was in no way supporting or involved in that particular exercise."
Henault said some of the injured soldiers will be moved to a medical facility in Uzbekistan and others to Ramstein, Germany, depending on their condition. Two who were slightly injured will remain in Kandahar for treatment.
Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien said President George W. Bush (news - web sites) had called to offer his condolences and pledged to cooperate with a Canadian investigation.
"As to the circumstances of what appears to have been a terrible accident, clearly there are many questions that the families, and all Canadians, expect to have answered," Chretien said in a statement.
There was no immediate word from the White House on the accident.
Canadian forces are fighting alongside U.S. and European troops seeking to hunt down remnants of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s terrorist organization and holdouts from Afghanistan's former ruling Taliban militia.
The bombing is among the worst friendly fire accidents since the U.S.-led campaign began in October.
On Dec. 5, a B-52A dropped a bomb on U.S. and Afghan forces near Kandahar, killing three Americans and at least seven Afghans, and slightly wounding Hamid Karzai, now Afghanistan's interim leader. The investigation isn't complete, but officials have said there were errors in transmitting target coordinates to the B-52.
On Dec. 22, U.S. aircraft struck a convoy near Khost, killing dozens of Afghans. Some Afghans say the convoy was carrying tribal leaders to Karzai's inauguration, but U.S. military commanders insist it was a legitimate target.
