bonoman
Refugee
Canada launches inquiry into Afghanistan bombing deaths
OTTAWA - Canada is launching a board of inquiry to find out how a training mission in Afghanistan turned into a tragedy that took the lives of four Canadian soldiers.
The four soldiers died when a U.S. National Guard F-16 fighter jet dropped either one or two 250-kilogram (500 pound) laser-guided bombs during an overnight training exercise. Dead are Sgt. Marc Leger, Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, Pte. Richard Green, and Pte. Nathan Smith.
Eight other soldiers were wounded. Six of them arrived for medical treatment at an American military hospital in Germany Thursday. Governor General Adrienne Clarkson was there to meet them. Two of the soldiers are in very serious condition. The other four could be on their way home by Saturday.
The wounds of the two others are minor and they've been treated in Afghanistan. The bodies of the four soldiers who were killed are expected to arrive in Germany Friday, before being flown back to Canada.
According to an American report, two U.S. fighters spotted the live fire and asked a command centre for permission to strafe the area. Permission was denied. But the report says the jets thought they were being attacked and one of them bombed the area.
Canadian flag at half-mast in Kandahar
The U.S. jet was reportedly not involved in the training exercise on the ground.
Marley Leger, the wife of Sgt. Leger, told CBC News that her husband was 29 and had been a soldier for eight or nine years. She said family members were on their way to her home in Edmonton.
The victims were all members of the Third Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton.
The Defence Department said the deaths were the first loss of Canadian lives in an offensive operation since the Korean War in the 1950s.
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This has outraged me. How could something in this day and age happen like this.
I heard this early this morning and have'nt even seen it on any American news channels. How could a country ask for our help and be so careless as to bomb us. If this would have been a Canadian bomb droped on four Americans there would be a uproar. This is something that should not happen and i would hope to see this pilot, who was told not to drop a bomb, be prosecuted or at least kicked out of the army!!
This hits close to home as these men live about three blocks from where i am currently residing.
What are some of your thoughts. What should be the punnishment. Should Canada even bother sending help if something like this could happen?
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Running to Stand Still-"you gotta cry without weeping, talk without speaking, scream without raising your voice."
"we're not burning out we're burning up...we're the loudest folk band in the world!"-Bono
OTTAWA - Canada is launching a board of inquiry to find out how a training mission in Afghanistan turned into a tragedy that took the lives of four Canadian soldiers.
The four soldiers died when a U.S. National Guard F-16 fighter jet dropped either one or two 250-kilogram (500 pound) laser-guided bombs during an overnight training exercise. Dead are Sgt. Marc Leger, Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, Pte. Richard Green, and Pte. Nathan Smith.
Eight other soldiers were wounded. Six of them arrived for medical treatment at an American military hospital in Germany Thursday. Governor General Adrienne Clarkson was there to meet them. Two of the soldiers are in very serious condition. The other four could be on their way home by Saturday.
The wounds of the two others are minor and they've been treated in Afghanistan. The bodies of the four soldiers who were killed are expected to arrive in Germany Friday, before being flown back to Canada.
According to an American report, two U.S. fighters spotted the live fire and asked a command centre for permission to strafe the area. Permission was denied. But the report says the jets thought they were being attacked and one of them bombed the area.
Canadian flag at half-mast in Kandahar
The U.S. jet was reportedly not involved in the training exercise on the ground.
Marley Leger, the wife of Sgt. Leger, told CBC News that her husband was 29 and had been a soldier for eight or nine years. She said family members were on their way to her home in Edmonton.
The victims were all members of the Third Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton.
The Defence Department said the deaths were the first loss of Canadian lives in an offensive operation since the Korean War in the 1950s.
-------------------------------------------
This has outraged me. How could something in this day and age happen like this.
I heard this early this morning and have'nt even seen it on any American news channels. How could a country ask for our help and be so careless as to bomb us. If this would have been a Canadian bomb droped on four Americans there would be a uproar. This is something that should not happen and i would hope to see this pilot, who was told not to drop a bomb, be prosecuted or at least kicked out of the army!!
This hits close to home as these men live about three blocks from where i am currently residing.
What are some of your thoughts. What should be the punnishment. Should Canada even bother sending help if something like this could happen?
------------------
Running to Stand Still-"you gotta cry without weeping, talk without speaking, scream without raising your voice."
"we're not burning out we're burning up...we're the loudest folk band in the world!"-Bono