No one individual is to blame and no charges will be laid in the "friendly fire" death of Canada's Pte. Robert Costall in Afghanistan, a new report says.
Costall and a U.S. soldier died during a March 29, 2006 nighttime battle with the Taliban at Forward Operating Base Robinson in Helmand province.
The U.S. Army released its report on the incident in July. Tuesday's report is the Canadian military's version.
The Canadian report has information blacked out -- the military said that was done to protect operational security -- but still provides insights into the fierce firefight.
About 200 soldiers were at the base. They had been attacked on 21 of the previous 42 days. One witness told the inquiry those troops were "smoked."
The report detailed a "perfect storm" of factors contributing to the deaths:
- The darkest night of the month
- Lots of dust in the air
- Tired soldiers
- A surge in base occupancy
- An attack of "unprecedented intensity"
The findings of the report were criticized Wednesday by a Canadian military analyst. Col. (ret'd) Michel Drapeau felt that both the U.S. and Canadian reports fell short in their recommendations.
"We want to learn lessons from it in order to prevent such occurrences in the future," Drapeau told CTV's Canada AM.
If the military doesn't take corrective action now, "there will be a next time" Drapeau cautioned.
The report outlines the situation on the night of Costall's death. There were four compounds within FOB Robinson housing Canadian, U.S. and Afghan National Army forces and a private Afghan security firm.
On March 28, insurgents attacked a convoy dispatched to the base, killing six Afghan soldiers.
In response, a Canadian Quick Reaction Force (QRF) was dispatched to reinforce FOB Robinson, arriving about an hour before the convoy. Costall was one of those soldiers. They were with 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
When the convoy arrived, the base's population doubled, from about 200 to 400, "presenting the commanders with a significant command and control challenge," the report said.
The U.S. commanders had a good plan for defending the base but didn't do enough to ensure that everyone knew where everyone else was. For example, some of the exhausted FOB Robinson soldiers were allowed to get some sleep when the QRF arrived, but were not briefed first on the QRF's locations, it said.
A U.S. machine gun crew was left out of the loop. That crew ended up firing the fatal shots.
The Taliban attacked about 2 a.m. on March 29 and the Canadian troops were dispatched to the attack point. The narrative ends with the word "secret."
One quick burst cut down Costall and wounded three of his comrades. A later burst hit some U.S. troops.
Sgt. John Thomas Stone, 52, of the Vermont National Guard also died that night. He was posthumously promoted to master sergeant.
In July, a U.S. army investigator recommended no charges be filed against the American machine-gunner who killed Costall.
U.S. personnel didn't testify before the Canadian board of inquiry, but the report said the U.S. military provided complete access to statements and other information gathered during its investigation.
Gen. Rick Hillier, Canada's chief of defence staff, said he's satisfied with the findings.
The army's standard operating procedures have been amended to improve the safety of soldiers, he said.
However, Drapeau wondered why there was not an investigative report jointly handled by the U.S. and Canada.
"I don't think Canadians have had as full access as they must have in order to properly assess for themselves what went wrong and what needs to be changed -- and simultaneously the U.S.," Drapeau said.
Costall's family said in a statement that the 22-year-old Thunder Bay, Ont. native should be remembered for what he lived for, not how he died.
With files from The Canadian Press
