British troops killed two Danish soldiers by "friendly fire" during an operation against the Taliban in Afghanistan, British and Danish defence sources disclosed yesterday. They fired missiles over the heads of the Taliban hitting a small Danish compound more than a mile away on the other side of the river Helmand in the Upper Geresk valley, Denmark's TV2 station said, quoting Danish military sources.
British officials privately confirm the incident. It occurred on September 26 but the results of an official Danish investigation are only beginning to emerge. "We are doing all we can to find out what happened and avoid a repeat. We are still taking evidence from our personnel," a British defence source said.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said in a statement: "We are working closely with the Danish government to establish the details and the causes of this incident and there is a board of inquiry into it ongoing. It would not be appropriate to comment further before the board of inquiry is complete."
However, Danish sources said the British troops fired between six and eight Javelin heat-detecting missiles at a 14-man Danish unit. The Danish television station said Danish troops did not realise they were being fired on by British forces until they identified the missile remains as belonging to the British after the attack. |