Friendly Fire Deaths In Afghanistan Blamed On Miscommunication

Military investigators have concluded a "friendly fire" incident in Afghanistan that killed one Afghan and five U.S. soldiers in June was caused by a series of avoidable miscommunications among air and ground forces. A Central Command investigation report says there was a collective failure to execute the fundamentals of the mission. As a result, two bombs dropped by a U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber stuck friendly forces who were mistaken for enemy forces. Among the soldiers killed was 25-year-old U.S. Army Specialist Justin Helton of Beaver, Ohio.