Subscribe
KABUL, Afghanistan – A joint ANSF and ISAF Joint Command assessment team has determined that the airstrike that killed six ANA soldiers and injured one early Tuesday, July 6, was the result of mis-communication between ISAF and ANA forces.
ANA soldiers planned a patrol and had coordinated the patrol location with ISAF elements. While passing the information to the local ISAF unit, the wrong location of the ANA patrol was identified.
When an ISAF helicopter patrol came across a group of individuals digging beside the road, in an area that has experienced daily IED detonations and significant casualties; they called the Ghazni Operational Coordination Center-Provincial to determine if friendly forces were in the area. The ISAF patrol was cleared to engage the individuals believed to be insurgents. However, this approval to engage was based on inaccurate information about the location of the ANA patrol.
Unfortunately, after the engagement, ISAF forces discovered the individuals were ANA soldiers on patrol.
“This accident is tragic, and our heartfelt condolences go out to all those who lost loved ones,” said Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, ISAF Spokesman. “We work very hard to ensure our operations are coordinated and synchronized. No one wants this to happen again. Together with our Afghan partners, we are working to improve our procedures.”
| Date Taken: | 07.08.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.08.2010 12:30 |
| Story ID: | 52520 |
| Location: | KABUL, AF |
| Web Views: | 163 |
| Downloads: | 145 |
This work, Joint team determines cause of accidental strike of ANA, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
