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| Iraq |
| Two British soldiers killed by ’friendly fire’ |
| 2003-03-25 |
| Two British soldiers have been killed in a 'friendly fire' incident during fierce fighting outside the southern Iraqi city of Basra. The pair from the Queen's Royal Lancers were killed when their Challenger II tank came under fire early on Tuesday morning. Two others were seriously injured. According to a reports, their vehicle was fired on by another British tank. A British military spokesman said the incident happened during a period of multiple engagements with Iraqi forces on the outskirts of Basra. The families of those killed and injured are now being informed. A British military spokesman said: "Regardless of training, planning and other measures, in this type of operation in the heat of battle there is always the risk that such incidents might always occur." Dammit, I think we've lost 20 men so far. 10% attributable to Iraqis... |
| Posted by:Bulldog |
| #2 Sorry, Bulldog. |
| Posted by: Matt 2003-03-25 16:49:01 |
| #1 Damn. I'm sorry to hear about this. For most of history, the vast majority of the soldiers who died in war actually died of disease rather than at the hands of the enemy. By the middle of the 20th century, medical science solved that problem. But now (for modern militaries at least) it seems as if vehicle accidents and fratricide are steadily becoming a major cause of casualties. There's got to be something that can be done about this. |
| Posted by: Patrick Phillips 2003-03-25 16:42:40 |