British soldier killed when US gunship mistook base for Taliban stronghold
Lance Corporal Christopher Roney Photo: PA
Lance Corporal Christopher Roney, 23, of 3rd Battalion The Rifles, died from head injuries he suffered while serving at Patrol Base Almas, in Sangin, Helmand, in December 2009.
The base had come under attack from insurgents and the platoon based there were busy fighting them off when air support was called in, Coroner Derek Winter said.
A drone fitted with a camera and two US Apaches flew to the patrol base, which was a compound with mud walls, bought from a local owner some weeks before and was not on official maps.
British troops on the ground, who by this stage had won a firefight against their attackers, were incorrectly identified as the enemy and were hit by 30mm chain gun rounds.
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