After being stonewalled by both the US government and the UK government since 2003 when British soldier Matty Hull was killed by US air friendly fire, the transcript of the cockpit tapes have been published in the UK press. For years the UK MoD and US DoD have dodged the question and misled the family about the situation but it is now quite clear what transpired. Friendly fire deaths have been unusually high in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Rumsfeld made a mess of the US military and should be held properly accountable.
A cockpit recording of a US pilot opening fire on UK forces in Iraq was leaked today, exposing the catalogue of errors which led to the death of a British soldier.
In the recording, the pilot of one of two US A-10 Thunderbolt jets involved in the attack says, after they realise their mistake: "We're in jail dude".
The other pilot, who opened fire, weeps, saying: "God dammit."
The Sun newspaper today published the transcript after obtaining a tape of the recording of the moment that one of the jets launched two devastating attacks on a British armoured convoy, killing Lance Corporal of Horse Matty Hull.
The Ministry of Defence initially told L/Cpl Hull's family the recording did not exist, but it found its way into the hands of Oxford coroner Andrew Walker, who is hearing the inquest into the soldier's death.
