What Are They Hiding?

A British coroner's inquest into the friendly fire killing of Lance Cpl. Matty Hull by A-10 ground attack aircraft of the US Air Force is running into a wall of silence from the American military.

The Brits have been refused the gun camera video, the results of the American investigation, even the names of the pilots who fired on the British armoured column in Iraq. The British Ministry of Defence was given a copy of the video for its own inquiry but told the family it didn't exist.

Not surprisingly, the video has now been leaked. The Star has reported this account of the video:

"The pilot can be heard in the cockpit trying to establish whether targets on the ground are coalition forces or insurgents.

"One man asserts that orange panels on the vehicles could mean they are coalition forces – most are equipped with bright markers to prevent such incidents.

"Another man is heard saying the orange markers look like rockets.

"'I think killing these damn rocket launchers, it would be great,' a man on the recording is heard saying."

It takes a pretty trigger-happy pilot not to see an orange recognition panel for exactly what it is, much less to confuse it for a rocket launcher. The pilots made not just one but two gun runs, firing the same gun pictured above, at the British vehicles.

After being notified they had attacked British forces, this is heard on the video:

Pilot 1: "I'm going to be sick.''
Pilot 2: "Ah f---.''
Pilot 1: "Did you hear?''
Pilot 2: "Yeah, this sucks.''
Pilot 1: "We're in jail, dude.''

The massive "Avenger" machine cannon pictured above equips the A-10 fighter. It fires 30 mm., depleted uranium rounds that can literally saw through a tank.

The leaked video can be seen here:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,11021-10043,00.html

It shows the American pilots took the British vehicles as targets of opportunity, these were not designated targets. They did ask, and were told, mistakenly, that there were no friendly forces at the target location. They noticed the orange recognition panels several times but failed to understand what they meant. Short of fuel the leader decided to attack. His wingman was notably reluctant throughout the tape. Seconds after their second firing run on the British light tanks they receive the notice that they've been attacking friendly forces.