U.S. jets accidentally fire at Canadians

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-060904afghan,1,7307698.story?coll=chi-news-hed

KABUL, Afghanistan -- U.S. warplanes accidentally strafed Canadian troops fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan early Monday, killing one soldier and wounding several, NATO officials said.

The "friendly-fire" incident happened near Panjwayi, where NATO troops have been fighting a pitched battle with the Taliban for three days, part of Operation Medusa. On Monday morning, NATO troops called for close air support. Two U.S. A-10 aircraft responded but hit the Canadian forces with cannons by mistake, NATO officials said.

"It is particularly distressing to us all when, despite the care and precautions that are always applied, a tragedy like this happens," said Lt. Gen. David Richards, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, the NATO-led forces that assumed security control of most of Afghanistan in August.

International troops are facing their toughest challenge from Taliban insurgents since the regime fell, almost five years ago. The Taliban has taken advantage of a weak government in the south, and is often paying recruits more than the government pays its soldiers.

[soothsayer]

1. we prolly thought they were reporters

[Bucky]

2. gallows humor

Since someone died here, I'd recommend waiting a couple of weeks before breaking out the irony.

(But that was a good one)

[wakeme2008]

9. IMHO I do not think he was joking...

:shrug:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

15. Or knew from the get-go that they were Canadians.

Message received.

[sweetheart]

26. canadian lives are not worth the same

message not recieved... canada is not a sovereign nation, but an informal territory
of the USA, and it is subject to the monroe doctrine of the US government getting
to kill any of their people for free...

... killllll a canadian, go to heaven.

Bush has lead us to this place, and i'm soooo dang proud to be shootin' any of those heathen nonwhite
nonamerican nonrepublican!! worth-2 pennies-a-pound canadians or immigrants! Gosh, ! No i don't
think the canadians get at all that they are sided with racists who will kill them for kicks.

[whistle]

3. AGAIN???? Didn't that happen back when Iraq War began

...here is one link to when this happened back during the start of the war in Afghanistan:

<snip>

U.S.: Friendly fire pilot reported being fired upon
Initial permission to drop bomb was denied, officials say
April 18, 2002 Posted: 7:32 PM EDT (2332 GMT)


KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A U.S. fighter pilot involved in a "friendly fire" incident that killed four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan dropped a laser-guided bomb after his commanders denied permission to do so, U.S. officials said Thursday.

Another eight Canadians were wounded in the incident early Thursday near Kandahar when the U.S. jet dropped a 500-pound bomb on them during a training mission, U.S. and Canadian military officials said.
<more> http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/central/04/18/afghanistan.canada/

<snip>
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
US troops fire on Canadian envoy's car in Iraq
Jeesh...

U.S. troops in Iraq fired warning shots at the Canadian envoy's car on Tuesday after it failed to slow down while approaching an American military convoy, the U.S. military said on Wednesday.

But a Canadian diplomatic spokeswoman had a different account. She said there was "to say the least reasonable" space between the vehicles and there were no warning shots or signals before three bullets hit the car.

There were no injuries.

...The Canadian ambassador's vehicle did sustain damage yesterday from U.S. military gunfire," said the statement.

"The rear guard on a U.S. convoy signaled the vehicle to stay back. After it failed to do so and continued moving toward the convoy from behind, warning shots were aimed at the front of the vehicle, away from the passenger area." <more>

http://cernigsnewshog.blogspot.com/2006/02/us-troops-fire-on-canadian-envoys-car.html

[whosinpower]

8. Not the Iraq war

It was in another theater of war I think. Canada has not officially participated as a member of the coalition for the Iraq war.

Still - your pilots keep picking off our men. :-(

[david_vincent]

4. blame it on the go pills...

[whistle]

27. a.k.a. methamphetamines

[saltpoint]

5. Well, it's hardly a secret that we're insanely jealous of their folk music

-- Leonard Cohen, Ian & Silvia, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Bruce Cockburn, and so on. It's a long list of amazingly talented musicians, and once in a while the jealous tensions build up and we get air strikes like this.

[Cleita]

6. I just heard it on the news.

Will we ever know how much in disarray our military is? I do believe that a breakdown of command causes these accidents with some very scared troops getting trigger happy because they are feeling like sitting ducks.

[Hubert Flottz]

7. Canada his been buying mass quantities of yellow cake and tubs

of frosting from the known trouble maker Poppin' Fresh.

[Evoman]

10. Geez...how about not strafing people until you have a positive ID

This is the second time this has happened. I don't think any other country has accidentally strafed Americans!

On edit: Last time this happened, an apology took forever (if I remember correctly). Maybe Canadians should stop playing peacekeeper in countries your cowboy presidents mess up.

[buzzard]

11. At this point we are hardly playing peacekeeper, I wish we would just

get the hell out.

[Evoman]

14. It's gotten out of hand.

We need to get our soldiers out of there.

[saltpoint]

12. The no-ID shoot-first strategy is part of Bush's pre-emptive war

policy.

If we don't kill Canadians over in Afghanistan, we'll have to kill them here in North America. How Canada was omitted from the original Axis of Evil, I'll never know.

_____________
I'm not insensitive to loss of life in this instance (and others), but noir sarcasm here is directed against the Bush administration and PNAC.

[Telly Savalas]

25. Can you imagine the reaction of right-wing fucks on FOX News

if Canadians had done this to Americans?

This is a disgrace. Harper is out of his fucking mind if he thinks a military occupation run by the Bush Administration will lead to peace. Get the Canadian troops out now.

[Lost-in-FL]

13. The Canadian troops were too close

to where the Taliban was shooting?? :shrug:





:sarcasm:

[applegrove]

16. This is crap. It should never happen. Obviously the sattelites are

being used up by the war in Iraq to keep American troops safe from friendly fire.

How many USA sattelites are trained on the battle-fields of Afghanistan..giving intel to commanders there?

I hope the Canada Arm of the space shuttle gives those American sattelites the middle finger the next time it is up.

This is the second time US Jet have killed some of ours.

[malaise]

20. Yes indeed

the second time. Unfriendly fire would be more accurate.

[undeterred]

17. They were coming across lake Superior to the Wisconsin border?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

18. Well, as usual...the U.S. does something stupid...

Sheila(Kyle's mom):Times have changed,
our kids are getting worse
They won't obey their parents they just wan't to fart and curse

Mrs. Marsh: Should we blame the government? Ms. Cartman: Or blame society?

Boys fathers: Or should
we blame the images on TV?

Sheila(Kyle's mom):
No,blame Canada, blame Canada
With all thier beedy little eyes have packed thier heads so full of lies, blame Canada, blame Canada,
we need to form a full assault its canadas fault

Mrs. Marsh:Don't blame me for my son Stan he saw the darn cartoon and now hes of to join the klan

Ms. Cartman: And my boy Eric once had my picture on his shelf but now when I see him he tells me to fuck myself

Shelia: Well? Blame Canada, blame Canada, it seems that everythings gone wrong since Canada came along, blame
Canada, blame Canada

Copy shop attendent:They're not even a real country anyway

Mrs. McCormic!
My son could have been a doctor or a lawyer rich and true instead he burned up like a piggy on a barbeque
Crowd: Should we blame the matches? Should we blame the fire?
Or the doctors who allowed
him to expire

Sheila: Heck no, blame Canada, blame Canada, with all their hockey hollabaloo

Ms. Cartman: And that bitch Ann Murray too

Everyone: Blame Canada, shame on Canada, for the smut we must stuff the
trash we must stash the laughter and fuck must all be undone we must blame them the cause of fuss before
somebody thinks of blaming us

[AspenRose]

19. "BLAME CANADA!!!"

This is just so wrong on so many levels.....I love Canada and Canadians and this really, REALLY ticks me off. :mad:

[Greyhound]

21. Confused here, pissed at the sarcastic post or that we killed and

wounded our allies? (BTW if you're familiar with the A-10, it is probable that more than one of the wounded will die).

[AspenRose]

22. Pissed that we crap on Canada on a regular basis

That's why "Blame Canada" is in quotes...that in itself was meant to be sarcastic

[Greyhound]

23. Gotcha, and yes it is frustrating. We crap on our real allies, while

sucking up to and giving all of our $$$ to countries that are openly hostile, if not publicly declared enemies, such as China and India.

Mind-boggling :crazy: :silly:

[marmar]

24. But Canada's new NeoConNut Prime Minister...

will probably just brush it off and blame his own troops for getting in the way....

[elare]

28. Quote from a Canadian soldier

"We should spray-paint a big circle around us, with an arrow that says 'Not here, asshole,' " one soldier said, packing up his sleeping gear.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060905.AFGHANREACT05/TPStory/