KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Canadian troops narrowly missed death and serious injury when an American jet dropped a 225-kilogram laser-guided bomb on their position earlier this month in an incident frighteningly similar to the friendly fire attack that killed four Canadian soldiers in 2002.
Soft ground prevented a bloodbath, soldiers said of the incident the military has kept quiet.
Pte. Rob Adams, who was kneeling five metres from where the bomb landed and was completely engulfed by the fiery flash, received a concussive head injury. He was airlifted by helicopter to hospital at the coalition's Kandahar Airfield base.
His condition was assessed as very good and he has been released from hospital, said Canadian Forces Maj. Marc Theriault.
Although 17 Canadian troops were within 45 metres of the blast, and shrapnel splinters up to a half-metre long littered the farmer's field where the laser-guided bomb hit, nobody died. But nearly a dozen soldiers were blown through the air.
"We heard it coming. What went through my head was, `I can't believe they bombed us,"' said one soldier who had been standing just over 10 metres from the impact point.
Another soldier, 25 metres away, was smashed so hard to the ground that the edge of his helmet was pushed in. He is still suffering severe headaches from the July 8 incident.
The explosion blasted a different soldier three metres into a mud hole.
The incident was all too similar to an attack by a U.S. F-16 aircraft that killed four Canadian troops during a training mission near Kandahar in April 2002. Eight other Canadians were injured.
2006-07-20 07:54:00 · 10 answers · asked by judy_r8 6 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
Mikegolf, Canadian troops are welcome in Afghanistan, because they are fair, and treat their hosts with respect and courtesy, something the American troops there might learn from.
2006-07-20 09:44:56 · update #1
The US will never apoligise to Canada for any thing that it does. You are forgetting that they think we are just stupid canucks that drink lots of beer and play hockey. Oh yeah and live in igloos.
If they only knew the truth.......
2006-07-20 08:03:48 · answer #1 · answered by Me1982 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The technology is only as good as the intelligence and people behind it. That is where the mistakes are usually made. If firing is seen below, the operators may act on unreliable troop movement data or act too rashly (as happened in the 2002 friendly fire incident with Canadian troops).
I know that the 2002 friendly fire incident with Canadian special forces was thoroughly investigated and guilty parties court marshalled (and I believe a formal apology made). I am pretty sure the same will happen in this situation as well. Luckily, nobody was killed in this incident.
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Comments from James and Me1982 are stupid. People that generalize the personalities and feelings of Americans such as you two really bug me. It's like saying all Muslims are terrorists; stupid.
2006-07-20 16:33:43 · answer #2 · answered by Ubi 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That is a shame. The U.S says it has so much technology that
the computer scopes on the fighter planes know when there is an enemy below or not. I think they probably did apologize.
I saw something like that on the news. It said a number of canadian troops were killed and they did get an honarable
funeral. But it is terible the government did not mention the]recent event. It is nothing to hide but you got to admit it does ruin the
governments image. I mean them saying they have advanced technology and all.
2006-07-20 15:39:50 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why don't we wait to find out the full story first?
Besides, if Canadian troops left Afghanistan - who would notice?
(You can always tell when there is no longer any significant enemy in an area because that is when the Canadian troops take over.)
2006-07-20 15:59:55 · answer #4 · answered by MikeGolf 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
If we Americans here on Yahoo Answers tell you that were sorry for what happen to your troops over in Afghanistan, will that make you happy? I mean you're really coming off kind of angry at us, and it's not our fault! Why don't you write an email to the proper US Government Official, and go off on them?
2006-07-20 16:53:32 · answer #5 · answered by Naples_6 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I will apologize for my country's actions. This is a sad event.
It will not surprise me if the US makes a public apology. Our government did it for the Japanese fishing boat we sank accidental, for the Chinese fighter pilot who dies buzzing a U2, we should apologize for this.
In fact I will send a link of this question to my representtives and ask for our government to apologize.
2006-07-20 15:13:38 · answer #6 · answered by JFra472449 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
when the states bombed japan during ww2...they called tokyo and we like yea we bombed u (laughing in their heads) and yea surrender or else ...soo yea they are colddddd n prolly wont apologize...canada has apologized for the chinese exclusion act but the states is trying to erase it from memory..tisk tisk
2006-07-20 22:05:12 · answer #7 · answered by jelly_jam_maplesyrup 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They'll apologize when hell freezes over.
Their egos and arrogant reputations precede them.
2006-07-20 14:58:39 · answer #8 · answered by Chreap 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You seem to forget the first rule of war: People die. Dead is dead, it doesn't matter how you got there.
2006-07-20 19:49:00 · answer #9 · answered by preacher55 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
WAAAAAAAAA you whiner that is war and it happens. Sux when it does but it happens and there is nothing to apoligize for.
2006-07-20 15:00:01 · answer #10 · answered by bildymooner 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋