Saturday March 17, 2007
Coroner says 'friendly fire' killing of British soldier was a criminal act
Kim Sengupta
Independent UK
The killing of Lance Corporal Matty Hull in an American air strike in Iraq was a "criminal, unlawful act" by pilots who opened fire "with disregard for the rules of engagement", a coroner ruled yesterday.
Oxfordshire Assistant Deputy Coroner Andrew Walker also scathingly criticised the US authorities for their lack of co-operation which had caused so much "pain and suffering" to L/Cpl Hull's family. The failure to hand over important documents has meant that "the full facts have not yet come to light".
L/Cpl Hull, 25, died when his convoy came under attack from two A-10 "Tankbuster" warplanes despite the British vehicles showing orange markings to signify allied forces.
The coroner said "the attack on the convoy amounted to an assault. It was unlawful because there was no lawful reason for it and in that respect it was criminal. The pilot who opened fire did so with disregard to the rules of engagement and acting outside the protection of the law of armed conflict."
read full story
Posted in: by bubblejam at 10:56 PM | Comments (0) | Email This Entry