U.K. Coroner Doubts 'Friendly Fire' Deaths

by Rob Gifford, NPR

A coroner in Britain says the killing of a British soldier in Iraq in a friendly fire incident with U.S. forces was unlawful, criminal and not an honest mistake.

Lance Cpl. Matty Hull was killed near Basra in 2003, when American aircraft attacked his tank.

The U.S. military said its own investigation exonerated the pilots. But it refused to send witnesses to the inquest, a decision that has strained U.S.-British relations.

Broadcast Dates

• All Things Considered, March 16, 2007