The Times notes that the incident is similar to another Predator attack in 2009, in which at least 15 Afghan civilians were mistakenly targeted as Taliban. The report faults poor communications, mistaken assumptions and “a lack of overall common situational awareness,” but found that no one involved was “culpably negligent or derelict in their duties.” But a few seconds later, they changed their assessment, writing they were “unable to discern” who the figures were. Using a written chat system to communicate with the pilots, the analysts initially wrote that the two figures in question were “friendlies,” suggesting they were American troops. had doubts about the identity of the targets. Rast, 23, were killed on April 6 by a Predator drone in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, after Marine commanders mistook them for Taliban.Īccording to The Los Angeles Times, the unreleased Pentagon report found that Marine officers on the scene and the Air Force crew piloting the drone from halfway around the world were unaware that analysts watching the live video feed from a third location in Terre Haute, Ind. Jeremy Smith, 26, and Navy Hospitalman Benjamin D. In the first known case of friendly fire deaths involving an unmanned aircraft, Marine Staff Sgt. In the past several months, unmanned aerial aircraft drones have been successful in killing some of America’s top enemies, including Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, Al Qaeda’s second in command, and Anwar al-Awlaki, the group’s most well-known internet jihadist.īut according to the findings of a recently declassified Pentagon investigation, a drone strike in April was also responsible for killing two of its own: a Marine and a Navy medic.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |