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Old 02-17-2010, 08:08 PM   #1
fedelwet

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Oct 2005
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Default 'Friendly Fire' Probe Into Afghanistan Death


'Fighter extraordinaire': An investigation has been launched into the death of Kingsman Sean Dawson

A teenage soldier killed in a suspected 'friendly fire' incident told his girlfriend that he was 'really scared' just weeks before he was shot and killed. Kingsman Sean Dawson, 19, died in a gun battle after suspected insurgents were lured into an ambush near Musa Qala in Helmand province on Sunday - just five weeks after landing in the warzone on his first tour of duty.

An MoD spokesman has confirmed that it is investigating whether he may have been accidentally shot by a comrade. Kgn Dawson - hailed as a 'true Lion of England' and a 'fighter extraordinaire' by friends and colleagues - had been sending regular love letters to his girlfriend, Sadie Adams, since arriving in Afghanistan.

In one moving note he said: 'I've just got off the phone to you and I can't stop crying now I've heard you babe. 'I love you. I am really scared now. 'When I got shot at on Tuesday, the only person that came to me when that happened was you babe.' The ambush in which Kingsman Dawson died was unrelated to Operation Moshtarak, the massive Nato offensive to clear Taliban strongholds.

It comes as Taliban fighters are increasingly using civilians as human shields as Nato forces carry out painstaking house-to-house searches for insurgents. The Royal Military Police are already investigating two possible cases of 'friendly fire' from December - Lance Corporal Michael Pritchard, 22, and Lance Corporal Christopher Roney, 23. Kingsman Dawson, of the 2nd Battalion the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, went to Afghanistan on January 16 after passing a course to become a sniper.

His devastated family, who have been told of the 'friendly fire' theory, said he had dreamed of joining the Army since the age of six and loved military life. His father Sean, 42, a Royal NAvy veteran, said at their home in Stalybridge, Manchester: 'He completely and utterly believed he should be there, that is all he wanted. 'He was apprehensive and scared and rightly so, but he knew he had a job to do and he was proud to do it.'

But Mr Dawson refused to blame anyone for his son's death. He said: 'I've been in firefights myself and I understand these things can happen when there's two sides of bullets flying. 'I'm not going to sit here and blame anyone because that would be wrong.'


Parents: Sean and Karen Dawson. Mr Dawson insisted his son was proud to fight in Afghanistan


The teenager had two brothers and three sisters. His last contact with his family was a text message on February 7 saying: 'I'm gonna try ringing you today okay. Love ya.' But the phone network at his UK base disconnected before he could call. Tributes flooded in to Kgn Dawson, with hundreds of people joining a Facebook site in his memory.

His commanding officer, Lt Col Robbie Boyd, mourned one of his 'fittest and finest fighters'. Company Commander, Maj Alan Sweeney, added: 'His quiet manner, ready smile and gentle sense of humour disguised a courageous and unflappable young man.' A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'Early indications suggest that his death was possibly caused as a result of 'friendly fire'. 'This is currently being investigated and no further comment can be made until the inquest.'

A total of 261 UK personnel have died in Afghanistan since 2001.


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