A B-1B Lancer bomber flying with a Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod in 2007.
Type
Aerial attack
Location
Arghandab District, Zabul Province, Afghanistan
Target
Taliban
Date
9 June 2014 (2014-06-09)
Executed by
United States Air Force
Casualties
Five U.S. soldiers killed 1 Afghan commando killed
The 2014 Gaza Valley airstrike was a friendly fire incident that took place in Zabul Province, Afghanistan on 9 June 2014 when five U.S. troops and one Afghan interpreter were killed when a B-1B Lancer bomber inadvertently dropped laser-guided bombs on their position during a firefight with Taliban forces. U.S. and Afghan government forces were in the Gaza Valley area of Arghandab District conducting security operations in advance of the 2014 Afghan presidential elections when they came under attack from Taliban militants, sparking a firefight. An American air controller on the ground requested close air support from a B-1B bomber flying in the vicinity to support a team of soldiers maneuvering on a ridge. The U.S. aircraft dropped two guided bombs on the position, killing the team of Americans and an Afghan soldier.
It was the deadliest incident of fratricide to take place between American forces in the country since the beginning of the Afghanistan War, and raised questions over the standard operating procedures of U.S. troops and their close air support assets. An investigation of the incident blamed the airstrike on the commander of the American troops on the ground, the U.S. combat air controller who coordinated the strike, and a flaw in the design of the B-1B bomber's targeting pod which prevents the aircrew from being able to identify the infrared strobes on the helmets of American soldiers that serve to allow pilots to distinguish friendly troops from enemy troops.
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Global Information
United States Air Force
Five U.S. soldiers killed
1 Afghan commando killed