Hydrablog

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/27/world/europe/27afghan.html
November 27, 2007
Britain Opens Inquiry Into Deaths of 2 Danes in Afghanistan
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE [Afghanistan] [hydra] [insurgency] [pivotal 2007 when the Taliban and hydra mounted an important spring offensive into the summer] [some indicators of improvement] [nevertheless, many indications of backsliding] [here another apparent friendly fire incident] [Brits fired on Danes?] [*****]
LONDON, Nov. 26 (Agence France-Presse) — Britain has opened a formal investigation into a possible instance of an accidental attack in which two Danish soldiers died in southern Afghanistan, [*****]the Ministry of Defense said Monday.
Danish television reported on Sunday that the Danish soldiers, who died Sept. 26, were killed by missiles fired by British forces who mistook them for Taliban fighters.
“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,” said a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, on the condition of customary anonymity. “It would not be appropriate to comment further before the board of inquiry is complete.”
He said he did not know how long the inquiry would take.
The Danish TV2 television station reported Sunday that British troops from the International Security Assistance Force believed that they were fighting Taliban when they launched six to eight missiles at a position held by 14 Danish soldiers. [******]
The British forces kept firing for nearly an hour without noticing that it was another position for the international force, killing the Danish soldiers, Thorbjoern Ole Reese and Mikkel Keil Soerensen, the television station’s correspondent said.
Two Danish soldiers said they knew the British had fired at them because they found remains of British missiles in their position, on the Helmand River in the Upper Geresk Valley.
The two soldiers’ deaths brought to six the number of Danish troops killed in Afghanistan. Denmark has 550 soldiers in the country, mostly in Helmand Province under British command. [*******]
Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company