US says one possibly killed in Kurdish friendly fire incident

CAMP AS SALIYAH, Qatar (AFP) Apr 06, 2003
US Central Command said one civilian was possibly killed in a suspected friendly fire incident Sunday that Kurdish sources in northern Iraq said had left four US troops and 12 Kurds dead.

The different toll was only an early evaluation of the incident, said Navy Lieutenant Commander Charles Owens at the Command's base in Qatar. "This is the snapshot we have at this time," he said.

"Coalition aircraft may have engaged special operations and friendly Kurdish ground forces around 4:15 am EDT (0915 GMT), approximately 30 miles southeast of Mosul, Iraq, in the vicinity of Kalak," the Command said.

"Early casualty reports indicate one civilian may have been killed, (and) one US soldier, one Kurdish soldier and four civilians were injured," it said, calling it a "potential" friendly fire incident.

SPACE.WIRE