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Investigators tie miscommunication to deadly US 'friendly fire' incident in Afghanistan
Published December 01, 2015
The first page of the report released by U.S. Central Command Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014, on the friendly fire incident in Afghanistan in June is photographed in Washington on Sept. 4, 2014. Avoidable miscommunication between U.S. air and ground forces led to a incident that killed five U.S. soldiers and one Afghan. The report cited a collective failure by soldiers, commanders and air crew members to execute the fundamentals of the mission. As a result, the five Americans and one Afghan were mistaken for the enemy and were attacked with two laser-guided bombs from a B-1 bomber. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick) (The Associated Press)
A military investigation has determined that avoidable miscommunication between U.S. air and ground forces led to a "friendly fire" incident in Afghanistan that killed five U.S. soldiers and one Afghan.
The incident last June was one of the deadliest friendly fire episodes of the war, which began 13 years ago next month.
The report was released Thursday by U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in Afghanistan.
It cites a collective failure by soldiers, commanders and air crew members to execute the fundamentals of the mission. As a result, the five Americans and one Afghan were mistaken for the enemy and were attacked with two laser-guided bombs from a B-1 bomber.
A two-star Air Force general led the investigation. Many details of the report were blacked out before its public release.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/investigators-tie-miscommunication-to-deadly-us-friendly-fire-incident-in-afghanistan