Jun
16
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.” Read more