Friendly Fire Incident at Sangin - Convoy Attacked

Convoy Attacked

The fighting began when the militants attacked an Afghan National Army re-supply convoy on Highway 611 near FOB Robinson, killing two soldiers. Although the locally-contracted convoy was unknown to Coalition troops prior to its reporting of contact with insurgents, two British Harrier aircraft were dispatched from Kandahar Airfield, along with a pair of American Apache gunships. After the militants were scattered two hours after the fighting began, the convoy was hit a short distance later by an improvised explosive device along the roadside, killing six soldiers, and was stranded 9–13 miles from the base.

At approximately 10:00 p.m., a Quick Reaction Force, made up of 38 men comprising 7 Platoon of C Company of 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, was deployed from the airfield in American helicopters, to escort the convoy back to its base.