CBC : No charges to be laid in friendly-fire death of Canadian soldier

No charges to be laid in friendly-fire death of Canadian soldier

CBC News | August 7, 2007

The Canadian military will not lay charges in the 2006 friendly-fire death of a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan, after an internal investigation concluded that soldiers at the scene were not to blame.

The investigation, summarized in a written report released Tuesday, found that Pte. Robert Costall was accidentally gunned down by a U.S. soldier as coalition forces struggled to defend a small army base in the southern Helmand province against a Taliban attack.

The report says that the Taliban's attack on the especially dark night of March 28, 2006 was "very complex and intense." It came as the small base was adjusting to a large increase of coalition soldiers.

The new soldiers had not been fully briefed and there was no detailed sketch outlining coalition soldiers' locations, the report says.

The investigation was conducted by a board of Canadian military officials, headed by Brig.-Gen. Christopher Davis.

"After careful consideration of the facts, the board found that no one person or persons met the requirement of blame," the report reads. "However, several critical errors were made resulting in the injuries and deaths of coalition personnel."

Costall, a member of Edmonton's 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, was shot from behind by a machine-gun fired by a U.S. special forces gunner.

U.S. soldier Master Sgt. John Thomas Stone was also shot and killed by the gunner, while three other Canadian soldiers were injured.

In July, a U.S. army investigator released his findings into the friendly-fire incident and also recommended that no charges be filed.

The Canadian report offers ways to avoid such incidents in the future, including better training and preparation and the increased use of technology such as night vision devices during training and operations.

Gen. Rick Hillier, the Canadian Chief of Defence, called the report thorough, comprehensive and insightful. He said the recommendations are already being incorporated.

"Private Costall and Master Sgt. Stone did not die in vain," Hillier said Tuesday in a statement. "We shall never forget their ultimate contribution in the pursuit of peace for the Afghan population."

'Remembered for holding the door of hope open'

Costall's family asked that he be remembered for his work in Afghanistan. Family members have requested privacy and will not grant interviews with reporters.

"He should be remembered for holding the door of hope open to the people of Afghanistan," the family said in a written statement on Tuesday. "Remembered not for how he died, but rather for what he lived for — being Canadian, proud, strong and free,"

Costall, a 22-year-old machine-gunner, was born in Thunder Bay, Ont., and grew up in Gibsons, B.C. He went to Afghanistan in February 2006, shortly after his son's first birthday.

He is one of 66 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan since the mission began in 2002.