Predator Drone Mistakenly Kills 2 U.S. Servicemen: Report

Two U.S. service members were killed last week in a drone airstrike that is believed to be the first instance of friendly-fire deaths from drone attacks, NBC News is reporting.

The attack, which took place in Afghanistan's restive Helmand province, appears to be a case of mistaken identity. Marine Staff Sgt. Jeremy Smith and Navy Corpsman Benjamin Rast were reportedly coming to serve as reinforcements for a group of Marines coming under fire in the region. The Marines were watching live video of the battlefield provided by a drone; when they saw infrared "hotspots" approaching, they ordered the drone strike. The hotspots were actually Smith, 26, and Rast, 23, according to NBC.

The U.S. government is investigating the incident, and "the families of both service members have been informed of the possibility this was a friendly fire incident," reports NBC.

The controversy surrounding U.S. drone strikes in Afghanistan and Pakistan was highlighted last month when a particularly deadly drone strike killed 36 people, most of them civilians, according to intelligence officials. Pakistan pulled out of high level talks about the future of Afghanistan in protest.

President Obama has ordered a "record number" of Predator strikes during his administration, reports Newsweek.

Comments

[avril666]

10:49 AM on 04/13/2011

The Israel Wars

[Dale McGill]

05:13 PM on 04/12/2011

Poor 36 civilians that were killed, too! Why are we killing civilians? Nobody cares, go watch TV.

[ivan ko]

04:28 PM on 04/12/2011

Last time I checked predator drones don't shoot on their own.

[jsgaetano]

11:24 PM on 04/12/2011

Someone got a bad score on that sortie.

[European1919]

02:55 PM on 04/12/2011

Since when has collateral damage ever bothered the Americans?

[jjoeybowtie]

02:15 PM on 04/12/2011

The crimes of Bush and Cheney are now the crimes of Obama. Stop the wars.

[muck-raker]

08:11 PM on 04/12/2011

jjoey many excellent post(s) F&F

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hoWJgZwqOg

[jjoeybowtie]

08:44 PM on 04/12/2011

Thanks. I served in the Marines. I did my time. I would not want anyone I know to enlist in the military to become a paid mercenary for the corporations. Now I understand so many years later why my father was so against me joining. He served in the Pacific and fought against the Japanese.
I remember him telling me that this is not a war in Vietnam but a for profit war. Being 17 I did not believe him. Now I do. We need to bring our troops home. Stop the killing.

[sophiemaki]

01:56 PM on 04/12/2011

explain that to the family?

[JoeBlough]

01:39 PM on 04/12/2011

Ten years and still stumbling around, knocking over furniture.

[snwlprd]

01:15 PM on 04/12/2011

Where's Bin Laden? Any drones seen him lately? Your tax money at work folks. Don't you feel good about where your money is going? Better hammer your social security. It's your money that you gave them (plus interest earned?) for maybe 45+ yrs. We've got this deficit thing for all to crap their britches over now. Oh! .... and had better slam some more of your money into Libya. It's not much change, THAT, you can believe.

[jsgaetano]

11:25 PM on 04/12/2011

Bin Laden is sitting in a cave with Saddam's WMD, and the conservative's economic prosperity which they spent eight years claiming was "just around the corner".  We never did find that corner...

[LogicalMathMan]

01:07 PM on 04/12/2011

Patreus to the Afghans: See, we even kill our own people. So, an apology is how we diffuse our mistakes. Now, let's see how much longer we can occupy your country.

[jwilson1]

12:17 PM on 04/12/2011

Did you all know that a new statistic came out that 18 American service men commit suicide every WEEK!!!! More then men killed in the war every week so we are killing our own troops faster then the enemy???????????? I was a vet in Vietnam and went in at 180lbs and came home 129lbs. 20 years later PTS. So I know what they are faced with! Get out of IRAQ, AFGANISTAN and all the rest! Put America back to work>

[Max Shaw]

12:06 PM on 04/12/2011

This is exactly happened in that episode of WEEDS...freaky.

[AndyWright68]

11:58 AM on 04/12/2011

Nearly everyone kiIIed by this human slaughter machine were innocent, peaceful people.

[dillinger64]

11:51 AM on 04/12/2011

Now that you have an idea of what the Afgan or Pakistani villager is exposed to , the most sensible thing to do is to pack up and go back to your country. Stop this crazy unnecessary slaughter