KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Canadian troops were at a former
al-Qaida training camp now used daily by coalition forces for live-fire
exercises when they were mistakenly bombed Thursday by a U.S. jet fighter,
leaving four dead and eight injured.
A mood of shock, bewilderment and
disbelief descended on the camp where more than 800 Canadian soldiers are based
with other coalition forces at an airfield south of Kandahar.
"We all
expected a mine strike at some point; we never expected this," said one of the
soldiers at the base.
The accident happened in darkness -- 1:55 a.m.
local time -- at Tarnac Puhl, a compound once used by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida
network to train fighters. It was featured in instructional videos made by the
terrorist group.
Since the fall of the Taliban regime that harboured
al-Qaida in Afghanistan, however, the site has been used for weeks by coalition
troops to maintain their battle readiness in live-fire exercises.
The
fact that live ammunition was being used led to speculation among the troops
that the American pilot might have thought he was being fired upon, but military
authorities have said only that an investigation will be carried out.
Even the troops back at the base heard the jet fighter overhead, its
high-pitched scream clearly distinquishable from the drone of military transport
planes that usually fly in and out of the runway on the base.
Soldiers
also reported hearing the "whummph" when the bomb hit the training range just
several kilometres to the southwest.
Within an hour, all the soldiers on
the base were woken to respond to the emergency. Rescue teams rushed to retrieve
the dead and wounded. Some of the casualties were quickly evacuated out of
Afghanistan, while surgeons at the base hospital operated on others through the
night.
After daylight, clusters of Canadian soldiers gathered at a
bulletin board outside the public affairs office. Many appeared shocked by what
they read from a statement about the deaths and injuries suffered by their
comrades -- members of the Edmonton-based 3rd Battalion of the Princess
Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
They were the first Canadian Forces
personnel killed in a combat zone since the Korean War 50 years ago.
The
mood was evident in the solemn movement of the troops on the base. Some talked
quietly in small groups. One soldier was slumped in a chair, weeping.
Maj. Mike Audette, a spokesman for the Canadian camp, said the tragedy
would not distract the Canadian Forces from its mission in Afghanistan. "We're
focusing on the task at hand and realizing that we're still fully engaged in an
operational role," he said.
The Tarnac Puhl site where the bombing
occurred is a large, mud-walled compound with trench complexes around it. The
compound was largely destroyed by U.S. bombing during the war with the Taliban
regime.
But even after the Taliban fled Kandahar, the bombardment has
continued. Coalition forces have been using the compound daily for live-fire
exercises. Its walls have crumbled from repeated blasts from grenades, mortars,
landmines and other weapons fired during exercises. Spent ammunition can be seen
lying everywhere. The hulk of a bombed-out tank is crippled on the dusty
grounds.
During live-fire exercises, troops plan an assault and charge
toward an objective under covering fire. Live ammunition is used to make the
training as realistic as possible, and grenades and other explosives are
frequently set off.
All the action makes the site dangerous with
unexploded ordnance. Several weeks ago, at least two American soldiers were
killed by a landmine there.
Like all coalition troops in Afghanistan,
Canadian soldiers put reflective silver tape on their helmets and equipment to
identify them to friendly aircraft overhead. Thursday's accident showed the
safety measure does not totally safeguard the troops from "friendly fire."
Last month, Canadian troops had a close call in eastern Afghanistan when
they went on Operation Harpoon, an offensive to help U.S.-led coalition forces
search for Taliban and al-Qaida fighters on a mountain known as "the Whale."
An American
fighter pilot reported that he had identified enemy on the mountain and wanted
to "light 'em up," according to military sources. His commanders later realized
it was a mistaken identification of Canadian troops as enemy, and the bombing
was called off just five minutes before it was to begin.
THE END
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