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TITLE: US Bombs Kuwait in Error |
AUTHOR: |
PUB: BBC |
DATE: March 13, 2001 |
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Six people, five of them American soldiers, were killed and 10 injured as a US Navy F/A-18 jet mistakenly dropped a bomb on military personnel at a training range in Kuwait, officials say. Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman, described the incident as a "training accident''. One of those killed was a New Zealander, identified by the army as 27-year-old acting Major John McNutt. The New Zealand Government said it would demand an explanation from Washington. The Bush administration has seen several accidents "This was a live bomb basically dropped on observers. It should not happen and we all need to know precisely what went wrong," New Zealand Defence Minister Mark Burton said. The accident took place at the Udairi bombing range in north-west Kuwait, about 45km (30 miles) from the Iraqi border. The plane was practicing "close air support" for ground troops at the range, when it dropped explosive ordnance "on or near" an observation post, US military sources said. The aircraft had taken off from the USS Harry S Truman in the Persian Gulf. Those killed and injured were on the ground observing training at the range when they were hit by the 225kg (500lb) bomb in the darkness, officials said. Silence As he began a visit to Florida, US President George Bush asked those assembled for a moment of silence for the dead soldiers and their families. "I am reminded today of how dangerous service can be. We lost some men in a training accident," he said. White House spokesman, Ari Fleischer said the accident was a sad reminder of the risks of military service, even in peacetime. "The president's young administration has unfortunately seen several incidents of accidents" he added. US Central Command, the unified military command responsible for US security interests in 25 nations, said the jet was participating in a "routine close air support training exercise" involving forces from the US military and other nations patrolling the Iraqi no-fly zone. Investigation "Such exercises are held quarterly for the purpose of practicing air operations against hostile ground targets in close proximity to friendly forces" the US Central Command said. "The exercises involve friendly ground and airborne forces pointing out targets to friendly fighter aircraft orbiting overhead. The fighter aircraft then deliver weapons on the targets" it added. An accident investigation board has been appointed and will arrive in Kuwait this week. The US military has operated regularly from airfields and an army base in Kuwait since the 1991 Gulf War, when US forces expelled the occupying Iraqi army. This is the second major accident involving the US military since President Bush took office. On 3 March, 18 members of the Virginia Air National Guard and three Army crewmen died in the crash of a C-23 twin engine turboprop. END |