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| British soldier died after being hit by US Apache helicopter fire | British soldier died after being hit by US Apache helicopter fire |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| A British soldier was killed in Afghanistan after being hit by fire from a US Apache helicopter that wrongly identified his base as an enemy stronghold, a coroner has said. | A British soldier was killed in Afghanistan after being hit by fire from a US Apache helicopter that wrongly identified his base as an enemy stronghold, a coroner has said. |
| Lance Corporal Christopher Roney, 23, of 3rd Battalion The Rifles, died from head injuries he suffered while serving at Patrol Base Almas in Sangin, Helmand, in December 2009. | Lance Corporal Christopher Roney, 23, of 3rd Battalion The Rifles, died from head injuries he suffered while serving at Patrol Base Almas in Sangin, Helmand, in December 2009. |
| The base had come under attack from insurgents and the platoon stationed there was busy fighting them off when air support was called in, the Sunderland coroner, Derek Winter, said. | The base had come under attack from insurgents and the platoon stationed there was busy fighting them off when air support was called in, the Sunderland coroner, Derek Winter, said. |
| A drone fitted with a camera and two US Apaches flew to the patrol base, which was a compound with mud walls, bought from a local owner some weeks before and not on official maps. | A drone fitted with a camera and two US Apaches flew to the patrol base, which was a compound with mud walls, bought from a local owner some weeks before and not on official maps. |
| British troops on the ground, who by this stage had won a gun battle against their attackers, were incorrectly identified as the enemy and they were hit by 30mm chain gun rounds. | British troops on the ground, who by this stage had won a gun battle against their attackers, were incorrectly identified as the enemy and they were hit by 30mm chain gun rounds. |
| Winter said 200 rounds were fired before the mistake was spotted, leaving 11 injured on the ground. | Winter said 200 rounds were fired before the mistake was spotted, leaving 11 injured on the ground. |
| Roney, a married former drayman, received emergency treatment but died from his injuries the next day. | Roney, a married former drayman, received emergency treatment but died from his injuries the next day. |
| Winter said the mistaken view that the British base was an insurgents' compound was shared with key personnel. | Winter said the mistaken view that the British base was an insurgents' compound was shared with key personnel. |
| This was despite the patrol base, 2 miles (3km) from Forward Operating Base Jackson, having a flagpole, a washing line, defensive constructions and personnel who were not dressed like the enemy, Winter said. | This was despite the patrol base, 2 miles (3km) from Forward Operating Base Jackson, having a flagpole, a washing line, defensive constructions and personnel who were not dressed like the enemy, Winter said. |
| He was summarising the evidence he expected to hear during the week-long inquest. | He was summarising the evidence he expected to hear during the week-long inquest. |
| Statements have been given from the US pilots and co-pilots, which will be read later. | Statements have been given from the US pilots and co-pilots, which will be read later. |
| Retired Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Kitson, who watched live pictures of the attack, said it was a "tragic incident". | Retired Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Kitson, who watched live pictures of the attack, said it was a "tragic incident". |
| In his opening statement, Winter said throughout the incident the US Apache helicopter crews were not informed, nor did they ask for the exact location of Patrol Base Almas. | In his opening statement, Winter said throughout the incident the US Apache helicopter crews were not informed, nor did they ask for the exact location of Patrol Base Almas. |
| He said: "As a consequence, they were unaware that the compound they were observing and in which they believed they had positively identified insurgents was, in fact, Patrol Base Almas." | He said: "As a consequence, they were unaware that the compound they were observing and in which they believed they had positively identified insurgents was, in fact, Patrol Base Almas." |
| He described how, with "total disorientation" now in place, the Apaches were authorised to engage. | He described how, with "total disorientation" now in place, the Apaches were authorised to engage. |
| "Fused by the overwhelming belief that Patrol Base Almas was at risk of being overrun, the subsequent reactions and actions to these events created a devastating cumulative effect," he said. | "Fused by the overwhelming belief that Patrol Base Almas was at risk of being overrun, the subsequent reactions and actions to these events created a devastating cumulative effect," he said. |
| Winter said that because of the involvement of the US Apache helicopters, the number of personnel and the different locations, the sequence of events that unfolded was highly complex. | Winter said that because of the involvement of the US Apache helicopters, the number of personnel and the different locations, the sequence of events that unfolded was highly complex. |
| As a result, he said he would consider all that was visible in the context of the fact that the base was not on the map. | As a result, he said he would consider all that was visible in the context of the fact that the base was not on the map. |
| He also stated he would take into consideration the "cumulative human factor elements in this tragic incident" as well as any lessons learned. | He also stated he would take into consideration the "cumulative human factor elements in this tragic incident" as well as any lessons learned. |
| In his evidence, Kitson said the base at Almas was one of the hardest for the army to defend. | In his evidence, Kitson said the base at Almas was one of the hardest for the army to defend. |
| "By the end of the tour, Almas still remained the trickiest as we had limited vehicle access," he said. | "By the end of the tour, Almas still remained the trickiest as we had limited vehicle access," he said. |
| "There was very rudimentary defences, such as three layers of barbed wire. There was also no printed mapping that had it marked on it." | "There was very rudimentary defences, such as three layers of barbed wire. There was also no printed mapping that had it marked on it." |
| Kitson said that on the camera picture he was watching of the attack it was impossible to identify those on screen. | Kitson said that on the camera picture he was watching of the attack it was impossible to identify those on screen. |
| He said: "We could see black blobs running around but it's just a blob. There's no way at that distance of identifying the people. I could see muzzle flashes and projectiles being launched but I was the victim of my own assumptions." | He said: "We could see black blobs running around but it's just a blob. There's no way at that distance of identifying the people. I could see muzzle flashes and projectiles being launched but I was the victim of my own assumptions." |
| He said when it dawned on them what had happened the command was given to "check fire". | He said when it dawned on them what had happened the command was given to "check fire". |
| "The operations room was very busy and it was a pretty frenetic environment," he said. | "The operations room was very busy and it was a pretty frenetic environment," he said. |
| He said six deaths had already occurred that week and there was a general nervousness about Patrol Base Almas. | He said six deaths had already occurred that week and there was a general nervousness about Patrol Base Almas. |
| Concluding his evidence, he expressed his regret at what happened. | Concluding his evidence, he expressed his regret at what happened. |
| He said: "I want to record my considerable amount of regret and there's not one of us that cannot think of something we might have done differently." | He said: "I want to record my considerable amount of regret and there's not one of us that cannot think of something we might have done differently." |
| Kitson said Patrol Base Almas was set up to halt activity in what had become a "no-go area" known as the Taliban playground. | Kitson said Patrol Base Almas was set up to halt activity in what had become a "no-go area" known as the Taliban playground. |
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