Stars and Stripes
By Jon Harper
Published: December 31, 2014
WASHINGTON — The commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command won’t punish two Special Forces soldiers involved in "friendly-fire" deaths in Afghanistan earlier this year, according to officials.
Five American soldiers and their Afghan counterpart were killed June 9 when an Air Force B-1 Lancet dropped guided bombs on their position after they were misidentified as Taliban fighters.
American special operators, conventional troops, and Afghan army soldiers had been battling insurgents in the Arghandab district of Zabul province throughout the day.
Following a U.S. Central Command investigation, Air Force Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, the investigating officer, blamed the deaths on a series of communication problems between the forces on the ground and the aircrew.
“Had the team understood their system’s capabilities, executed standard tactics, techniques and procedures and communicated effectively, this tragic incident was avoidable,” Harrigian wrote in the executive summary of his report.
The troops killed by friendly fire wereStaff Sgt. Scott R. Studenmund, 24Staff Sgt. Jason A. McDonald, 28Spc. Justin R. Helton, 25Cpl. Justin R. Clouse, 22Pvt. Aaron S. Toppen, 19Afghan army Sgt. Gulbuddin Ghulam Sakhi.read more here
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