Britain says evidence suggests British plane shot down by U.S. Patriot missile.
(Yahoo News: Latest and Breaking News, Headlines, Live Updates, and More)
I am happy to know this. Apne aap ke he engage karein yeh log aur larein marein!
Looking at the issue of friendly fire only, I guess its something that cannot be avoided. Human error, and misinterpretation of intelligence availible means its one of those issues that will always be there.
Re: RAF plane shot down by patriot missle battery
If this turns out to be accurate, might it put extra domestic pressure against Blair - not only has he engaged British servicemen and women in this (highly unpopular) invasion, but now this embarassing incident. Wonder how he will justify his decision to the families of those British troops.
The first casualty of the war is TRUTH… Have you ever noticed every loss is by friendly fire, three so far.. LOL… yeah sure!! they lost 2 dozen aircraft in Afghanistan/Pakistan and they all went down on their ownor friendly fire… At this rate I am sure USAF/RAF will beat IAF hands down.. 
The Iraqis are saying they shot down an aircraft in S. Iraq…
so far more british military personnel are being killed as the american..
feel sorry for their families left behind .. war is very cruel.
This is how America's treats it's allies - well it only has two, and that is humiliating enough. What is "friendly" about killing your own allies?
How will Blair justify this “friendly fire” incident to the families of those who lost loved ones?
RAF aircraft shot down by US missile, The Guardian, 23 March 2003
The defence secretary, Geoff Hoon, told BBC1’s Politics Show that “urgent reviews” were underway into the “friendly fire” incident, which has left two British airmen missing close to the Kuwaiti border.
Group Captain Al Lockwood, the spokesperson for British forces in the Gulf, said a joint UK and US investigation had been launched. “We will get to the bottom of it to make sure there is no repetition,” he said. “We’re looking now for the evidence of the aircraft’s crash site - and obviously the crew members.”
US central command today confirmed that a RAF Tornado GR4, the fighter-bomber version of the aircraft, was returning from an operational mission early on Sunday morning when it was “engaged” by the missile battery.
The commander of British troops in the Gulf, Air Marshal Brian Burridge, admitted this morning that one of his planes had been shot down “by mistake”.
UK army hasnt had the best of starts .. first the 3 helicopters and now the plane .. these guys should pack up and go home .. its not the place for them ..
Blair is going to have a tough time explaining this to his people. If the Iraqis had shot down the planes, it might have increased the support for the war in the UK. Since the western media labels most of their losses as “accidents”, there is not much Blair can do.
I'm not happy about this :( Our troops shouldn't even be there. Blair is such a freak man, i just hope that these deaths will increase pressure on him to get the boys back home.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by wake_up_dead: *
UK army hasnt had the best of starts .. first the 3 helicopters and now the plane .. these guys should pack up and go home .. its not the place for them ..
[/QUOTE]
and now that poor ITV reporter....
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by aishaA: *
and now that poor ITV reporter....
[/QUOTE]
The only good thing being that with this amount of British casualties there will be increasing unrest and alarm within the public. Not that there isn't already...
.
Al Jazeera...you know more of you guys should get the channel...you all dished out for the cricket WC!!
Anyway 5 'allied' planes taken down and 2 helicopters. Snapshots of wreckage. Apparently the Iraqi's have held back on the anti-aircraft protection of Baghdad until tonight, the allies are finding it difficult to fly sorties.
The yanks will of course call it friendly fire or technical BS BS the cause of the crash… And every body is suppose to beileve that coz it is reported by CNN.. LOL… They never lost a single AC to enemy fire in Afghanistan either it was either FF or tech BS…
You don’t want to know the cost of each B52 and you don’t want to know how many were shot down in far east
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by wake_up_dead: *
UK army hasnt had the best of starts .. first the 3 helicopters and now the plane .. these guys should pack up and go home .. its not the place for them ..
[/QUOTE]
Now it seems they have killed their own reporter Terry Lloyd of ITN. Blair should hang his head in shame.
Confirmation of the loss
[source:BBC NEWS | UK | Shot down crew confirmed dead]
Shot down crew confirmed dead
It is thought a Patriot missile hit the plane
Two RAF Tornado jet crew members have been confirmed dead after being shot down by a US Patriot missile near the Kuwaiti border.
A major investigation by British and American forces is under way.
The friendly fire - or “blue on blue” - incident happened as the GR4 Tornado returned from a mission over Iraq on Sunday morning.
Wing Commander Mike Oldham, acting Station Commander at RAF Marham in Norfolk, confirmed the deaths.
He said: “They were returning from one of many successful and professionally conducted missions in Iraq, and I would like to pay tribute to their expertise and dedication.”
Names are not being released before next of kin have been informed.
Wing Cmmdr Oldham added: "Our thoughts and prayers are of course with the families and friends of the aircrew concerned.
“Here at RAF Marham we live and work as a very close team - today we have lost two valued members of that team.”
‘Urgent reviews’
Group Captain Al Lockwood, chief spokesman for the British forces, said: “This is a tragedy and we are taking rapid steps to find out the reason and to ensure that there is no repetition.”
The loss of the jet follows the death of 19 troops - including 14 Britons - in two helicopter crashes in the last few days.
Meanwhile, three members of an ITV news crew remain missing, feared dead after coming under fire in the south of the country. An injured colleague - who escaped - says they came under fire from coalition tanks.
And advancing US forces have suffered four dead and 50 wounded near Nasiriya, while Iraqi television has shown pictures of what it claims to be captured and dead American troops.
The Patriot system is in the Gulf to protect Kuwait and coalition forces from incoming missiles.
UK Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, who sent his sympathies to the families of the crew, said there were a set of procedures in place to defend British and coalition forces.
“Sadly on this occasion they have not worked and we are conducting urgent reviews, both of the operation of missile batteries as well as of our own aircraft to ensure that this cannot happen again,” he told the BBC.
Air Marshal Brian Burridge, commander of British troops in the Gulf, said the accident would not deflect troops from their mission.
He told the BBC: “This is a sad moment but we will put it behind us as quickly as we can in a military sense and carry on to our objective.”
RAF Group Captain Jon Fynes said the accident would not harm the coalition, arguing “in many ways it brings us closer together”.
“At the base they are sad it happened, but they are now refocused on what needs to be done next.”
‘Very sad’
William Farish, the US ambassador to Britain, paid tribute to the Tornado crew.
He told the BBC: “Friendly fire is something we have lived with for ages throughout wars, but to have it happen in a way like this is very sad.”
In a statement Downing Street said the prime minister knew about the accident, adding that he understood it was “an extremely difficult time for those involved, their families and colleagues of the crew who are missing”.
Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said: “I am afraid that it is the nature of warfare and you try to minimise this, but it is a tragedy nonetheless for the families.”
The loss of the Tornado came after two Royal Navy Sea King helicopters from the Ark Royal collided over the Gulf on Saturday, with the loss of all seven crew members - six Britons and one American.
A memorial service has been held on board the aircraft carrier for those killed. So far, only one body has been recovered.
On Friday an American CH-46 Sea Knight crashed over the Kuwaiti desert killing eight British and four American service personnel.
The number of accidental deaths amounted to a difficult start to the campaign “and not an ideal one for the UK”, Captain Lockwood said.
“It’s been tragic and there’s been a great deal of sorrow for those concerned and their families and friends.”
wake_up_dead I think you will find its more a case of US not paying attention to what they are shooting at in this instance
USAF now retaliates against the patriot battery 
US F-16 fighter strikes Patriot missile battery
10 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) - An F-16 fighter jet mistakenly bombed a Patriot missile battery in Iraq (news - web sites), knocking out its radar but causing no casualties, a US defense official said.
The incident occurred Monday 1230 GMT about 30 miles from An Najaf, the official said.
“It was hit. Nobody was injured or killed,” said the official, who asked not to be identified.
The radar that was struck in the raid was positioned some distance from the main missile battery, the official said, explaining how its crew escaped injury.
The incident was under investigation, the official said.