OUR Government should press for an immediate and thorough investigation of the "friendly fire" which so seriously injured Andy Julien of Whitefield (Bury Times, May 23) in his Challenger tank in Iraq.
The Canadian Government demanded such an investigation when "friendly fire" killed four Canadian soldiers in the war in Afghanistan with the result that two American pilots were court-martialled. This provoked wide indignation in America.
Pilots were reportedly given "uppers" and "downers" and expected to make a judgement, while flying at high speed, as to whether tracer fire on the ground was friendly or unfriendly. Surely the responsibility lies further up in the chain of command, all the way up to the Commander-in-Chief. I, for one, don't think it is just a matter of trigger-happy American troops. But that remains to be seen.
It is the responsibility of the British Government to demand justice for Andy Julien. It won't restore his sight or mend his shattered body, but it may stop it happening again to British troops in future conflicts.
BILL BRISON
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