Dumb Bombs

[Isiah 2:4]

Us Special Forces, Kurdish Officials and Western Journalists killed and injured in not so friendly fire incident.

WTF???? :eek:

How the hell are they gonna win the war if they keep on fragging each other?

Dunno if anyone else has heard about this in other parts of the Globe, but BBC correspondent John Simpson and his colleagues were miamed in the attack on a coalition convoy in the North of Iraq.

A number of Americans and Kurds dead so far as a result of this ironic blunder. No use usin smart bombs when youve got a Dumb Pilot with his hand on the trigger button. :(
US 'friendly fire' hits Kurdish convoy
· 10 'killed' in mistaken attack
· Senior Kurdish leader 'injured'
· BBC man hit by shrapnel

Staff and agencies
Sunday April 6, 2003

An American warplane has bombed a Kurdish convoy travelling in northern Iraq with members of the US special forces.
Ten people are believed to have been killed when the plane mistakenly attacked the convoy in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. The BBC world affairs editor, John Simpson, who was also with the convoy, said that he counted at least 10 bodies amid the burning vehicles.

"An American plane dropped the bomb right beside us. I saw it land about 10 feet away," Mr Simpson told BBC television in a satellite phone interview after the attack.

He said the convoy contained between eight and 10 cars, two of which carried US special forces troops. He added that a "very senior member of the Kurdish republic's government" was believed to be among the injured. It is understood he is the brother of Massoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

"This is just a scene from hell here," Mr Simpson said. "All the vehicles are on fire, there are bodies burning all around me, bits of bodies all around ... the Americans saw this convoy and they bombed it. They hit their own people."

Interrupted by an American soldier, he told him "shut up. I'm broadcasting ... Oh yes, I'm fine - am I bleeding?"

The soldier was heard to say: "Yes, you've got a cut."

"I thought you were going to stop me," Mr Simpson answered. "I think I've got a bit of shrapnel in the leg, that's all."

He also apologised for being so "excitable". "I am bleeding through the ear." His translator was also seriously injured, he said.

There was no immediate confirmation of the incident from US or British officials.

From the Guardian Online (UK)

[Johnny Yuma]

Originally posted by Isiah 2:4
[B]Us Special Forces, Kurdish Officials and Western Journalists killed and injured in not so friendly fire incident.

WTF???? :eek:

How the hell are they gonna win the war if they keep on fragging each other?



It wasn't a "fragging". A fragging is an intentional killing. You have characterized an accident as though it was something intentionally done. What is your motivation in doing that? :rolleyes:

[Isiah 2:4]

Originally posted by Johnny Yuma
It wasn't a "fragging". A fragging is an intentional killing. You have characterized an accident as though it was something intentionally done. What is your motivation in doing that? :rolleyes:

Ah. Well, my mistake. I thought that frag was the term used to denote a killing of another on your on side. :o

But saying that....the guy didn't drop the bomb without intending to kill someone did he?

I mean, the planes circled the column of vehicles for minutes before the bombs were dropped.

Its very sad indeed. Makes you think how easy it must be for innocents to get shot in the mazed streets of Palestinian towns.

Still, people died that should not have died, nothing excuses that.

[Alfred]

Dropping bombs is not an exact science......

If you are the one on the ground you could accidently give the wrong coordinates to the air assets...

Or, you if you are sitting in the AWACS you could make a transcription error...

Or you could be too close to the enemy...

Or the pilot could be off a half-second in his release timing...

Or it could be windy...


It is a tough job to bomb the ground going 400-600 miles an hour, from 3-10,000 feet in the air.

Take it from me, I know.

[Johnny Yuma]

Originally posted by Isiah 2:4
Ah. Well, my mistake. I thought that frag was the term used to denote a killing of another on your on side. :o

No. As I've explained before, fragging is a term coined during the Vietnam War when a disgruntled soldier would use a "frag"mentation grenade to kill an officer, usually. The typical recipient of fragging was one we called "a 90 day wonder", "butter bars", or "second louie"; AKA, a second liutenant. The favorite locale was sliding the grenade under the door of the latrine. Later, fragging was, also, used to describe nailing one of them in the back, out in the "bush"; the term for the "jungle" or area you went on routine patrol.


But saying that....the guy didn't drop the bomb without intending to kill someone did he? I mean, the planes circled the column of vehicles for minutes before the bombs were dropped.

Not one of his own. He had no idea who he was bombing. Fighter pilots seldom do. They just get coordinates. Someone else could've called in the strike, however. I wouldn't rule that out.




Its very sad indeed. Makes you think how easy it must be for innocents to get shot in the mazed streets of Palestinian towns.

Yep.


Still, people died that should not have died, nothing excuses that.

Clearly, you've never experienced the "fog of war", and never had to look down the barrel of gun and pull the trigger on someone you don't know, for a cause. Is there nothing worth laying your life on the line for? You would let those people live under an oppressive government, not being able to say the very kinds of things you said in this post, knowing good and well they had no chance to free themselves; not without losing many more than those few civilian casualties that this war will? How would you propose doing it? Talking the regime out of power?

[Mediocrates]

How many incidents like this have there been? Compared to the total number of missions. Yesterday for example there were approx 1800 sorties. The ratios are incredibly low.

[Alfred]

Originally posted by Johnny Yuma
No. As I've explained before, fragging is a term coined during the Vietnam War when a disgruntled soldier would use a "frag"mentation grenade to kill an officer, usually. The typical recipient of fragging was one we called "a 90 day wonder", "butter bars", or "second louie"; AKA, a second liutenant. The favorite locale was sliding the grenade under the door of the latrine. Later, fragging was, also, used to describe nailing one of them in the back, out in the "bush"; the term for the "jungle" or area you went on routine patrol.




Johnny... you sound VERY well informed on this subject..... Hmmmmmmm. :)

(from a former butter bar)

[Johnny Yuma]

Originally posted by Alfred
Johnny... you sound VERY well informed on this subject..... Hmmmmmmm. :)

(from a former butter bar)

Ummm.... maybe we lived during the time period? Would you believe me if I told you my cousins were special forces during the Nam, and that I was a high speed morse systems intercept operator; and a wing nut? di dah, di dah dit, dah dah di dah :D
I didn't do Nam. I worked on the railroad in Thailand; '72-'76.

[Alfred]

Hmmmm. Yes, I see. Did you leave any golden presents for Sianouk (sp?) perhaps in bags of rice?

Anywho,

I was hunting Soviet, Chicom and North Koreans via P3C Orions and a bit later hunting for Generalisimo Noriega from the 5-sided building in Northern Virginia.

Either way...we have to educate these poors kids who have grown up educationally deficient.....especially our poor brothers and sisters overseas.


By the way. I was in the Nam but as a kid pre-war 63-65. Military brat on an accompanied tour with Dad. Did watch a few Buddist Monks torch themselves...went through the Coup to overthrow President Diem (that was wild), and had a few run-ins with VC terrorists bombing anything American.