Military

All injuries and deaths that occurred at the Tarnak Farm Multi-Purpose Range on 17 April 2002 have been attributed to the blast and shrapnel effects created by the explosion of a

500-lb GBU-12 LGB, which impacted near the firing position of 3 Section, 3 Platoon, "A" Company at 21:26:01Z. 

The GBU-12 LGB is designed primarily to produce a blast/fragmentation effect rather than an evenly distributed pattern of small pieces of shrapnel.  As a result of this, both the size and the distribution pattern of the shrapnel produced can be unpredictable.  For each person killed or injured in this incident, the extent of injury was determined by numerous variables including, but not limited to: proximity to the explosion; the individual's location within Wadi East or surrounding area; whether the individual was standing, kneeling or prone; the direction the individual was facing; and the degree of physical protection (both equipment and terrain) from shrapnel and concussive effects. 

In general, those members who were in closest proximity to the point of impact received the gravest of injuries; certainly, had the bomb impacted in even a slightly different location, many more casualties might have been incurred. 

The following table describes the effects of the blast on the personnel involved, in approximate order of severity: