2001 Sayyd Alma Kalay airstrike
| Sayyd Alma Kalay airstrike | |
|---|---|
| Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) | |
 A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. | |
| Type | airstrike |
| Location | Sayyd Alma Kalay, near the Arghandab River, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan |
| Target | United States (friendly fire) |
| Date | December 5, 2001 |
| Executed by | United States |
| Casualties | 3 Americans and 10 Afghans killed 40 injured |
The Sayyd Alma Kalayy airstrike was a major friendly fire incident via airstrike during the Invasion of Afghanistan. It happened on December 5, 2001 when a U.S. soldier responsible for calling in airstrikes accidentally misguided the Boeing B-52 bomber to strike a hill held by American Special Forces and dozens of their Afghan allies.
Events
Two days earlier, Captain (now Lieutenant Colonel) Jason Amerine and Afghan tribal leader Hamid Karzai fought for the vital Arghandab town of Sayyd Alma Kalay. The Taliban withdrew from the town, and Amerine and Karzai entered the town. After both talked in the headquarters, Amerine left to discuss further airstrikes with another officer. While studying a map, a huge explosion hit the hill near them, apparently from one of their own bombs. Amerine was wounded, while many on the hill were killed or also wounded. A military investigation revealed that one of the men from the headquarters in Sayyd Alma Kalay who arrived earlier in the day made a mistake: he was on the ground calling in airstrikes when he accidentally gave the wrong coordinates for a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress that dropped the 2,000 lb bomb on the hill on which several Americans and Afghans were proposed.
Deaths and Wounds
Three of Amerine's friends died:
- Master Sergeant Jefferson Davis, 39 years old, of Watuga, Tennessee
- Sergeant First Class Dan Petithory, 32 years old, of Cheshire, Massachusetts
- Staff Sergeant Brian Prosser, 28 years old, of Bakersfield, California
10 Afghans died as well. Forty Afghans and Americans, including Amerine, were wounded. The wounded were taken to Ramstein Air Base in Germany for treatment.
References
- "Interviews - U.s. Army Captain Jason Amerine", Campaign Against Terror (PBS - Frontline)
- Blehm, Eric, The Only Thing Worth Dying For: How Eleven Green Berets Forged a New Afghanistan
- Zullo, Allan, Battle Heroes: Voices from Afghanistan