Post by Shooshoo on Feb 6, 2007 18:38:38 GMT -5
Victory For Soldier's Widow
Updated: 21:32, Tuesday February 06, 2007
The US has bowed to pressure and handed over a copy of the cockpit video of the friendly fire incident in which a British soldier was killed in Iraq.
The Pentagon has described the incident as "quite regrettable and unfortunate".
Defence Secretary Des Browne welcomed the decision, saying it was "the right thing to do".
Lance Corporal Matty Hull's widow Susan said the video was a "vital" piece of evidence that "must be shown" at the inquest into his death.
She will get her wish when the hearing resumes on March 12.
The footage from The Sun The Sun newspaper had earlier obtained a copy and handed it over to the Oxford coroner.
L/Cpl Hull, 25, was killed near Basra in March 2003 when his military convoy was hit.
A friend told Sky News Online the US should be made to pay for what it did.
Identified only as Tom, the friend said: "The US admit nothing because they live in their own world and don't care about anyone but themselves."
The Sun claims the two US pilots of the A-10 warplanes realised immediately what they had done.
One, using the call sign POPOV36, shouted "God dangit!". Another, POPOV35, yelled: "We're in jail, dude!"
Killed: Matty Hull The paper, which has released a full transcript, reported POPOV35 as saying "I'm going to be sick", while POPOV36 wept as they returned to base.
The tape has not been played at the inquest yet because the Ministry of Defence said it did not have permission from the US.
L/Cpl Hull's inquest was adjourned last week because of the US government's refusal to release the classified evidence.
An MoD spokeswoman said: "There has never been any intention to deliberately deceive or mislead L/Cpl of Horse Hull's family."
Mrs Hull says she was earlier told "categorically" by the MoD the recording did not exist.
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I think this kind of accidents should not happen in a modern war, the technology exist to stop Blue on blue tragedies like this happening, its not the first time the US Air-force have killed allied British service personnel, 17 were killed in one attack on a British convoy during the 1st Gulf war, no one was brought to book over that incident but assurances were made that more would be done to prevent the same happening again....but here we are.
I dont think this story will get much if any air time in the USA as its deemed damaging to the Armed services image but I just had to post it as the secrecy needs to come to an end.
Updated: 21:32, Tuesday February 06, 2007
The US has bowed to pressure and handed over a copy of the cockpit video of the friendly fire incident in which a British soldier was killed in Iraq.
The Pentagon has described the incident as "quite regrettable and unfortunate".
Defence Secretary Des Browne welcomed the decision, saying it was "the right thing to do".
Lance Corporal Matty Hull's widow Susan said the video was a "vital" piece of evidence that "must be shown" at the inquest into his death.
She will get her wish when the hearing resumes on March 12.
The footage from The Sun The Sun newspaper had earlier obtained a copy and handed it over to the Oxford coroner.
L/Cpl Hull, 25, was killed near Basra in March 2003 when his military convoy was hit.
A friend told Sky News Online the US should be made to pay for what it did.
Identified only as Tom, the friend said: "The US admit nothing because they live in their own world and don't care about anyone but themselves."
The Sun claims the two US pilots of the A-10 warplanes realised immediately what they had done.
One, using the call sign POPOV36, shouted "God dangit!". Another, POPOV35, yelled: "We're in jail, dude!"
Killed: Matty Hull The paper, which has released a full transcript, reported POPOV35 as saying "I'm going to be sick", while POPOV36 wept as they returned to base.
The tape has not been played at the inquest yet because the Ministry of Defence said it did not have permission from the US.
L/Cpl Hull's inquest was adjourned last week because of the US government's refusal to release the classified evidence.
An MoD spokeswoman said: "There has never been any intention to deliberately deceive or mislead L/Cpl of Horse Hull's family."
Mrs Hull says she was earlier told "categorically" by the MoD the recording did not exist.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I think this kind of accidents should not happen in a modern war, the technology exist to stop Blue on blue tragedies like this happening, its not the first time the US Air-force have killed allied British service personnel, 17 were killed in one attack on a British convoy during the 1st Gulf war, no one was brought to book over that incident but assurances were made that more would be done to prevent the same happening again....but here we are.
I dont think this story will get much if any air time in the USA as its deemed damaging to the Armed services image but I just had to post it as the secrecy needs to come to an end.