Friendly fire may have killed 3 from 101st

[unhappycamper]

Friendly fire may have killed 3 from 101st
By Lolita C. Baldor - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jan 15, 2008 22:26:21 EST

WASHINGTON — Three Army soldiers who were gunned down during a three-hour firefight in the Salahuddin province north of Baghdad last week may have died from friendly fire, military officials said Tuesday.

The three 101st Airborne Division soldiers were part of an Army company that was attacked by as many as 15 insurgents on Jan. 8 after the soldiers discovered several large caches of explosives.

Military officials said the incident is being investigated to determine whether the soldiers were killed by shots from the enemy or by U.S. troops, including members of their unit and aircraft called in for backup later in the battle.

A detailed account of the incident was described by several officials to The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is not complete.

The three soldiers were part of Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. They were searching buildings southwest of Samarra early that Tuesday morning when they found more than 1,000 pounds of homemade explosives, two 55-gallon barrels rigged to blow up, a roadside bomb, and bullets and bomb-making materials.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/01/ap_friendlyfireinvestigation_080115/



uhc comment: ICCC count = 3,923 deaths --> http://icasualties.org/oif/