LONDON - A leaked cockpit video published Tuesday captures a dramatic exchange between two American pilots whose voices choke up when they learn they have killed a British soldier in Iraq. "I'm going to be sick," one pilot says, later adding "we're in jail, dude."
Ever since the friendly fire incident nearly four years ago, the Pentagon has said the video was classified. That meant the footage could not be presented in open court during a British inquest into the death of Lance Cpl. Matty Hull, who was killed when at least one U.S. jet fired on his convoy in the southern city of Basra.
But after excerpts of the video were published in The Sun newspaper and the footage was widely broadcast, U.S. authorities agreed to release it for the inquest.
Neither pilot from the Boise, Idaho-based 190th Fighter Squadron was disciplined in the U.S. military's own investigation, which concluded the pilots "followed the procedures and processes for engaging targets," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Tuesday.
The leaking of the tape strained relations between the Department of Defense and their British counterparts, who were previously given a DVD of the classified video.
The dramatic cockpit video and recording begins with two pilots identifying a target and checking with ground control that there are no coalition troops in the area — to which ground control says, "That is an affirm. You are well clear of friendlies," according to the transcript released by The Sun.
Tempers flare between the two pilots, with one saying it looks like the prospective targets are carrying orange rockets. Coalition troops are often equipped with bright orange markers to identify them as friendly forces.
"I know what you're talking about!" the first pilot says, after asking about the location of the prospective targets.
"OK, well they got orange rockets on them," the second pilot says.
"Orange rockets?" the first pilot asks again, telling the other pilot they need to get back to base soon.
"I think killing these damn rocket launchers, it would be great," the second pilot says.
At least one of the U.S. A-10 jets opened fire on Hull's tank, which was part of a five-vehicle convoy engaged in combat outside Basra on March 28, 2003. Four other soldiers were wounded, including the convoy's leader, Capt. Alexander MacEwen.
Gunfire is heard. Minutes later they learn there are friendly forces in the area and that one person is dead and another is wounded
