LONDON, Aug 3: American pilots in Afghanistan, blamed for a series of “friendly fire” incidents and devastating erroneous attacks on innocent civilians, were routinely provided with amphetamines, a drug to tackle fatigue and help them fly longer hours.

The daily Independent in a report on Saturday said, pilots were allowed to “self-regulate” their own doses and kept the drugs in their cockpits.

“The pilots were provided with the stimulant Dexedrine, generically known as dextroamphetamine and referred to as a “go-pill” by the airmen, when they set off on missions.

When they returned, doctors gave them sedatives or “no-go pills” to help them sleep. Pilots who refused to take the drugs could be banned from taking part in a mission”, the paper says.

The use of the drugs is outlined in a 58-page document entitled ‘Performance Maintenance During Continuous Flight Operations’, produced by the naval medical research laboratory in Pensacola, Florida.