Libya: Six injured as US team botches rescue of downed airmen

Libya: Six injured as US team botches rescue of downed airmen


Libyans said US helicopter came in with guns firing, creating panic and wounding onlookers after F-15E Strike Eagle crash


Ewen MacAskill in Washington, Tom Kington on USS Kearsarge and Chris McGreal on the outskirts of Ajdabiya

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 22 March 2011 21.25 GMT




Libyans inspect the remains of a US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet that crashed due to a suspected malfunction. Photograph: Sean Smith for the Guardian


US forces sent into Libya to rescue two downed American airmen botched the mission by shooting and wounding friendly villagers who had come to help, witnesses have said.

Libyans who went to investigate the US warplane's crash site said that a US helicopter had come in with guns firing, creating panic and wounding onlookers, some of whom had to be taken to hospital; one 20-year-old man is expected to have his leg amputated.

...


"We consider that whoever is shot down or a prisoner of war, we should save him and hand him over," he told Hilsum from his hospital bed. "But another plane shot at me and Hamdy, my son. I have shrapnel in my hand."Hospital staff said that Hamdy, aged 20, wa s having an operation to amputate his leg.

"Why did this happen? My car is destroyed, my home is damaged. We would have just picked the second pilot up and put him wherever he wanted in a safe place. Even the other one, we had a celebration for him," Abdul Ati said.

...


Admiral Samuel Locklear, the US commander co-ordinating coalition operations from aboard USS Mount Whitney in the Mediterranean, declined to deny that the marines had opened fire.


More details at link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/22/libya-downed-airmen-rescue