SAN FRANCISCO: The US Army has opened a re-examination of casualty reports on American soldiers killed in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere since 2001 — a response to complaints that it has not always given families accurate information.
The review covers hundreds of casualties in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, two senior military officials said. It also includes American soldiers killed in neighbouring countries in support of the two operations.
In coming weeks, the army will issue a directive formalising the review, according to two military officials.
The step follows high-profile mistakes in informing families of the circumstances of soldiers’ deaths.
The best-known is that of Corporal Pat Tillman, the one-time football star who quit the game to join the U.S. Army Rangers and was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in April 2004. Tillman’s family was originally told he had been killed by enemy fire.—AP
