Jun
16
Phosphorus grenades fired at own troops
Filed Under Afghanistan
Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan – Dutch soldiers in Afghanistan have accidentally fired red phosphorus grenades at their comrades. A night patrol had asked for flares to illuminate their surroundings but instead received phosphorus grenades which create a smokescreen.
Correspondent David Poort witnessed the incident:
We left the Combat Outpost (COP), a small advanced base in the Dorafshan Valley north of Karin Towt, at dusk. With night-vision binoculars at the ready, I joined a platoon of Dutch soldiers for a night patrol to one of the nearby villages. The patrol is intended to make clear to the locals that ISAF now also maintains a nighttime presence in the area.
Night patrol in Dorafshan, Uruzgan
During a short tour of the village, the soldiers explained to the local residents that flares would be fired from the base that night. “Many Afghans have seen them before”, one of the soldiers said. “They used to identify them with the bombs which came after. That is not our intention in this case.”
Night patrols
The Dorafshan Valley was combed last month during a major clean-up operation against the Taliban. It has been relatively quiet there ever since. The night patrols were introduced to keep out the Taliban also at night. The flares are intended to put additional emphasis on the ISAF presence.
After the visit to the village, the platoon assembled at a nearby hill, where they contacted the base. Headquarters at Camp Holland had been asked in advance for permission to fire three flares. The platoon’s second lieutenant routinely initiated the firing procedure, and eventually gave the all-clear signal.
Muffled bang
“This is Romeo, we can proceed. Fire.” A muffled bang was heard in the distance and a few seconds later a grenade exploded above our heads. Like a graceful fountain, a shower of sparks descended from above and the sky lit up.
“This is not good”, the lieutenant said. In the distance, a second explosion could be head and another grenade exploded in the sky. “That is phosphorus, man” one of the soldiers cried while looking at the sky. He shouted “cancel fire, cease fire!!!” into his radio set. In disbelief the soldiers watched the burning sparks of phosphorus descending 200 metres away. A thick smoke screen was slowly being blown across the village but didn’t reach us.
Smoke screen
“God dammit”, one the soldiers muttered under his breath. “Fuck!”. The lieutenant immediately sent three men out to find out if the phosphorus has started a fire. The soldiers who remained behind fell silent until their three comrades had returned. No damage was done.
Back at the base, the mood was subdued. Nobody talked until the whole group was present for an evaluation of the patrol. How could this have happened? The soldier responsible for the mortar team insisted on speaking on his own behalf. What followed was an explanation and an apology. “This is a human error which should not have been made.”
Wrong mortar shells
A plastic pen called a ‘break light’ was used for the final inspection of the mortar shells. Break lights give off a green fluorescent light when bent. Phosphorus mortal shells are light green, flare shells are white. “It’s important we learn from this,” one of the soldiers at the base says. “This could have gone badly wrong”.
The platoon’s first lieutenant puts the incident in perspective. “It ended well because we took all necessary precautions. The mortar’s target area was carefully selected. Nobody was adversely affected”. The incident apparently did not make much of an impression at headquarters in Camp Holland either. According to the lieutenant, “Mortar teams are proud perfectionists. The soldier involved is so contrite that any punishment would have no added value”.
Red phosphorus
In a reaction, the defence ministry in The Hague says that a mistake was indeed made, but all safety rules were observed afterward and no life-threatening situations occurred.
The mortal shells were loaded with red phosphorus, which is less toxic than the white phosphorus used extensively by the Israeli army during its Gaza offensive earlier this year.
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