Obama pledges probe in kidnapped Briton's death in Afghanistan

A significant degree of risk, confusion, and unceretainty are unavoidable in any military engagement, even with the best trained troops and well thought-out plans. With that said, one has to ask: why in the world would they use a grenade?

A significant degree of risk, confusion, and unceretainty are unavoidable in any military engagement, even with the best trained troops and well thought-out plans. With that said, one has to ask: why in the world would they use a grenade?

Because they were the Michael Bay Division of the US Special Forces. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who thought "why didn't they send in their own SF?!?!". America is the king of friendly fire.

I'm sure I wasn't the only one who thought "why didn't they send in their own SF?!?!".

This has been explained, actually. British forces were not active in the region, so it was felt that US forces, having greater familiarity with the area and the opposition, would be in a better position to carry out the mission.

America is the king of friendly fire.

To the extent that this is true I'd argue it is because America engages in the lion's share of the fighting. Some degree of collateral damage, including friendly fire, is inevitable in war.

'Friendly Fire' what a ridiculous phrase. Nothing friendly about being killed by your own...

MrDog. You clearly have no concept of military conflict. The whole reason we abhor war is that the innocent invariably suffer and die during war. No military anywhere in the world can conduct a war without impacting the innocent who are caugh between. Or for that matter avoid having their own people killed in accidents.

Your CNN, Hollywood expectations of "24" like precision and zero negative casualties shows more time watching TV and movies than time learning about the realities of war.

If you want the innocent to stop dying in warfare, resist warfare and work to create peace instead of pointing uniformed fingers.

I do a lot of frag grenade spamming in videogames, but had no idea it was the standard operating procedure of US special forces in real life too?!

@tkoind2

Don't watch TV hardly ever watch movies, but I still know that throwing grenades into a room with a hostage wearing an explosive vest is a bad thing to do. As so it seems happened at the moment.

Just watched Hurt Locker before reading this... hmmm...

Was the grenade 'necessary'? I mean, throwing one into a room where the hostage you are rescuing is seems a bit odd.

I am sure they would have used a Concussion or similar grenade rather than a fragmentation type.

Lets see what they findings reveal.

It's so easy for anti-military types, and US bashers to run off with this, but lets remember that if she had not been abducted in the first place, by the actual criminals, that none of this would have happened. Her captors are 100% responsible for her death.

Her captors are 100% responsible for her death.

If US did not invade Afghanistan in the first place she would not have been abducted.

but I still know that throwing grenades into a room with a hostage wearing an explosive vest is a bad thing to do. As so it seems happened at the moment.

You people will believe anything that Washington throws at you...

There was NO suicide belt. Duh. This fact has been established and reported - in the British media at least.

Also the 'grave danger' she was in is being disputed since locals were already in negotiations with the kidnappers whom had already released three.

Clearly this news item wont register with many of you since the dead are not US citizens - ion which scenario, as we all know, its usually a terrible tragedy and practically the end of the world.

Mr.Obama, like Clinton and Bush never were in the army, never went to war, never will go to war so we have Commanders in Chief that have no idea what WAR is!!! U.S. President Barack Obama promised “to get to the bottom” of a failed rescue attempt by U.S. special forces that ended in the death a captive British aid worker in Afghanistan, after NATO said an American grenade may have killed her. There is NOTHING to get to the bottom of, this is WAR, things happen, people DIE, good and bad, the guilty and the innocent. Better for the USA to ask the UK to NOT ALLOW any more UK civilians into war torn Afghanistan to end up as collateral damage, and they only help the ANTI USA, ANTI NATO propaganda machine.

I agree with conservatives - this is ALL president Obama's fault. :-)

So we have NATo, the Coalition doing what its supposed to do...defend an american atrocity...first by blaming the afghan resistance, then finally admitting ...well yes it WAS the americans! But any afghanui couldn have set them straight...as coulod wikileaks! as for djuice, if the US hadnt invaded afghanistan, theres be no war for her to be abducted in and so killed by the invaders...The Nuremberg rules tell us the real criminals are the aggressive invaders...not the people fighting to defend their land

Oh yeah! He will get to the bottom of the matter! He will not rest! Like he promised not to rest till the BP spill was cleaned up and lost jobs and income restored and the guilty brought to justice. And then he headed off to the links for more golf.

No, if anything Obama might include this poor woman in his next,increasingly irrelevant speech. He will liken her work to what he did in Chicago as a "community organizer." He will thrill his diehard Lefty base by mentioning "Ahf-ghani-ston" and "The Tahli-bon" and then it's off to town for some ice cream.

Obama promised “to get to the bottom” of a failed rescue attempt

Just words. Just speeches.

RR

Obama actually makes me sick to my stomach.

It is so funny to read here that some folk think this is all President Obama's fault? Who got us into this mess in the first place? Yes, BUSH! His father too. So REPUBLICANS are really at fault, with their short memory.

it's highly unlikely the special forces commandos will face criminal charges because it's a hostage situation. Special Forces Commandos have immunity. Obama will let this one go !!!!! Civialians should know the risks they take for traveling like an idiot.

It is so funny to read here that some folk think this is all President Obama's fault? Who got us into this mess in the first place?

I blame her scumbag captors, and reserve some blame for the woman. Blaming Bush is like blaming the Wright Bros every time a plane crashes.

So the Americanbs are going to investigate themselves....

Absolutely no chance of them finding themselves at fault, then. Ultimately just blame the Taliban/kidnappers/Bin Laden/ungrateful Afghanis

Ultimately just blame the Taliban/kidnappers...

You seem to be under the mistaken impression the kidnappers had nothing to do with the kidnapping. I think they would disagree.