US admits it may have attacked Kurdish convoy

AS SALIYAH, Qatar (AFP) Apr 06, 2003
The US Central Command acknowledged Sunday that its warplanes might have attacked a Kurdish convoy in northern Iraq where at least 10 people were reported to have been killed, some of them Americans.

"Coalition aircraft may have engaged special operations and friendly Kurdish ground forces approximately 30 miles (50 kilometres) southeast of Mosul," said a statement from the US command at the Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia released here.

"Coalition aircraft were conducting close air support missions at the time (around 0915 GMT), and were in coordination with ground forces. The circumstances contributing to the incident are under investigation and unknown at this time."

The US statement offered no casualty toll but a BBC correspondent who witnessed the strike said he counted 10 to 12 bodies, some of them US special forces personnel escorting the convoy.

A dozen Kurdish militiamen were killed and a top rebel commander seriously wounded in the strike, Kurdish officials said.

SPACE.WIRE