US 'dumped' report into UK troops' crash ordeal (The Observer)

[Eugene]

US 'dumped' report into UK troops' crash ordeal

Lawyers claim the Pentagon will now pay £1.2m
compensation after trying to deny Iraq collision

Mark Townsend, defence correspondent
Sunday February 18, 2007
The Observer

The Pentagon has been accused of obstructing an investigation into how
three British soldiers almost died when an American tank transporter
rammed them off a road in Iraq.

Lawyers for the UK troops claim that the US authorities tried to 'dump'
their inquiry in a move to block a compensation claim. The American
military also said it had no record of the incident, but it has emerged
that the collision was officially recorded at the time.

-snip-

US army officials are due in London this week to interview Corporal Jane
McLaughlan, Staff Sergeant James Rogerson, Corporal Stephen Smith and
their interpreter, Khalid Allahou, almost four years after all were
seriously injured when their Land Rover was struck twice from behind by
the US transporter. McLaughlan, who was driving, was unable to keep
control and the Land Rover crashed off the road. All four passengers
were thrown from the vehicle.

Their legal advisers said that, despite attempts to block their claim, the
US authorities were likely to pay £1.2m in compensation to the soldiers,
the first financial payment of its kind involving coalition allies in the
Iraq war.

-snip-

Full article: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2015813,00.html