The following is a
chronological breakdown of the significant events leading up to and after the
impact of the bomb at 21:26:01Z on 17 April 2002. The narrative is restricted to a basic explanation of factual
events only; much more detailed analysis is included in Part III of the report;
a visual representation of the key timeline can be found at Annex B. All times are expressed in Greenwich Mean
Time and abbreviated as "Z"; a chart to aid in interpretation of "Z" versus a
local times in Kandahar, Ottawa and Edmonton is included at Annex C.
| Time |
Unit (s) |
Event |
Early April, 2002
6 -14 Apr 02
approx 1 wk prior to
exercise
|
Commander TF Rakkasan
Commanding Officer 3 PPCLI
Training Officer 3 PPCLI
"A" Company
2 I/C
|
Transfers security task at
from a US Company to 3 PPCLI, to commence 20 April 2002.
"A" Company is
selected for the airfield defence task, training begins.
Request to use
Tarnak Farm Range for purposes of night live-fire training is submitted and
approved.
Completes range
booking and planning requirements as specified in TF Rakkasan Range Standing
Operating Procedures for the Tarnak Farm Multi-Purpose Range.
|
17 Apr 02
Approx
15:05Z
|
"A" Company
|
A convoy of five
trucks plus an ambulance and escorting armoured units departs the KAF en
route for the Tarnak Farm Range (4.5km south).
|
|
15:20Z
|
Coffee 51, 52
|
Coffee 51 Flight departs in for a planned
mission ( transit, hours on station) over
the northeastern part of Afghanistan. The
mission is classified as "On-Call Interdiction" wherein the aircraft provides
an on-station presence for unforecast close air support requirements.
|
|
15:30Z
|
"A" Company
|
Company arrives at
the range, begins preparations.
|
|
16:01Z
|
"A" Company
|
Live-fire exercise
begins; weapons are grouped and zeroed, followed by simultaneous use of a
Close Quarter Battle range and a Tank Stalk range.
|
|
20:35Z
|
KAF Control Tower
|
Control tower imposes
a "check fire" at the Range to allow for incoming aircraft. This is carried out
by radio, through a Control Tower Sentry. The "check
fire" is cancelled at 20:51Z and firing resumes.
|
|
Approx 21:00Z
|
Coffee 51, 52
|
The F-16 sortie
departs its area of operations in northeast Afghanistan, heading south-west
towards Kandahar, en route to a rendezvous with tanker aircraft.
|
Approx
21:15Z
|
3 Section
|
3 Section begins its
exercise on the Tank Stalk range, moving up the drainage ditch (wadi) under
the command of MCpl Clark (Section 2I/C), monitored by Sgt Ford (Section I/C)
with Sgt Leger acting as Range Safety Officer.
|
Approx
21:21Z
|
Coffee 51, 52
|
The transiting F-16
aircraft observe ground fire and report it to .
|
|
21:22:38Z
|
Coffee 51, 52
|
Aircraft - in both aircraft.
|
|
21:22:52Z
|
Coffee 52
|
Coffee 52 attempts to "mark" (determine target location thru a sensor) the
target and send this information to the lead aircraft.
|
|
21:23:34Z
|
Coffee 52
|
Coffee 52 makes his initial request to attack the target with 20mm cannon.
|
|
21:23:42Z
|
|
tells Coffee
51 Flight to "standby" while
relaying the initial details of the situation and the request to
|
|
21:23:45Z
|
Coffee 51
|
Coffee 51 reminds Coffee 52 of the
need to ensure that the target is not a friendly force.
|
|
21:24:48Z
|
Coffee 51,52
|
Both aircraft align their and laser designators to the
same position on the ground, roughly on the centre mass of individuals in the
wadi.
|
|
21:24:50Z
|
3 Section
|
The fifth and last
round of the anti-tank
weapon is fired; firing plume is visible on the targeting pod video from Coffee 51.
|
|
21:25:00Z
|
|
passes Coffee
51 Flight direction to "hold fire" and requests additional details for
the SAFIRE (surface - air fire) report to
|
|
21:25:04Z
|
Coffee 52
|
Coffee 52 calls that he has sighted men on a road and a piece of artillery that
is firing at them. He immediately
invokes self-defence and initiates his attack.
|
|
21:25:14Z
|
|
acknowledges Coffee 52's transmission.
|
|
21:25:17Z
|
Coffee 51
|
Coffee 51 assists Coffee 52 by
reminding him to verify his weapons settings.
|
|
21:25:39Z
|
Coffee 52
|
Coffee 52 releases one GBU-12, 500-lb bomb. Post-release, his aircraft descends to an
altitude of 13,210 ft MSL (10,550 ft above ground).
|
|
21:26:01Z
|
3 Section
|
Bomb impacts on the
Western edge of the wadi, close to the lip of the ditch and slightly to the
left of the group comprising Sgt Leger, Corporal Dyer, and Pte Smith.
All three are
killed, as is Pte Green, whose body is thrown to the southeast. All of the six remaining
3 Section personnel
within the wadi are injured, as are two other soldiers waiting in an adjacent
area near the support vehicles.
Remaining troops
disperse from vehicles in case of a re-attack by the aircraft, which is heard
to pass overhead.
|
|
21:26:11Z
|
|
directs Coffee
51 Flight to disengage, stating "Friendlies
Kandahar"; Coffee 51 acknowledges.
|
|
21:26:44Z
|
|
directs Coffee 51 Flight to depart the area to the south;
Coffee 51 Flight departs the area.
|
|
21:27Z
|
"A" Company
Ctrl Tower Sentry, 3 PPCLI CP
|
Range reports to 3
PPCLI Command Post that it has been attacked by fast air. Uninjured troops begin
to triage casualties, administer first aid, and account for personnel.
Simultaneously, the tower (acting through the 3 PPCLI command post)
attempts to impose a "check fire" for an incoming transport aircraft.
|
|
21:27:15Z
|
|
requests coordinates of target and asks
whether any weapons were expended. Coffee 52 confirms that one bomb was
dropped, and passes an estimated position (actually 5-6 nm from Tarnak Farm).
|
|
21:28:01Z
|
Coffee 52
|
Coffee 52 asks whether
he would like him to return to the target site to get the correct position;
declines.
|
|
Approx 21:28 - :29Z
|
Coffee 51, 52
|
The two pilots
discuss what they saw on the ground.
At the close of the discussion Coffee 52
states "I hope that was the right thing to do;" Coffee 51 agrees.
|
|
21:29:10Z
|
Coffee 51
|
Coffee 51 confirms that it was a GBU-12 that was dropped, and partially
updates his SAFIRE report.
|
|
21:31:05Z
|
Coffee 51
|
Coffee 51 asks to
confirm that there was no in effect in the area.
agrees with this assessment.
|
|
21:31:30Z
|
Coffee 51, 52
|
Aircraft recording
systems deactivated; Coffee 51 Flight
proceeds to waiting air refueler and continues on to home base .
|
|
21:35Z
|
TF Rakkasan
|
TF Rakkasan confirms that the coalition aircraft had felt
threatened and had dropped ordnance in self-defence.
|
|
21:36Z
|
TF Rakkasan
|
Air Medical
Evacuation (Air Medevac) helicopter is ordered to launch.
|
|
21:56Z
|
Medevac
|
Medevac helicopter
launches.
|
|
22:03Z
|
Medevac
|
Medevac helicopter
arrives at Tarnak Farm Range.
|
|
22:20Z
|
Medevac
|
Helicopter departs
Range with most seriously injured patients; arrives at the KAF in four
minutes.
|
|
22:24Z
|
"A" Company
|
Commanding Officer
of "A" Company stops the search of the incident site, owing to danger from
unexploded ordnance.
|
|
22:48Z
|
"A" Company
|
All "A" Company
personnel are accounted for.
|
|
23:05Z
|
"A" Company
|
Remaining injured
are transported to the KAF via armoured ambulance.
|
|
23:45Z
|
3 PPCLI
|
Canadian Forces
National Investigative Service (CFNIS) personnel arrive at incident site to
begin investigation.
|
18 April 02,
00:26Z
|
TF Rakkasan
"A" Company
|
US personnel
dispatched from TF Rakkasan arrive at Tarnak Farm to secure the site and
relieve "A" Company.
Decision is made to
redeploy all junior "A" Company personnel; key leaders remain to control the
incident site.
|
|
01:30Z
|
TF Rakkasan
|
US Disaster Mortuary Affairs Response Team (DMART) arrives
at site to begin forensic investigation.
|
|
05:44Z
|
TF Rakkasan
|
US Criminal
Investigation Division is dispatched to support CFNIS investigation.
|
|
06:39Z
|
"A" Company
|
All remaining "A"
Company personnel depart Tarnak Farm for KAF
|
|
11:32Z
|
TF Rakkasan
|
All casualties
requiring additional medical treatment depart from KAF via US Air Medical
Evacuation for US facilities in Landstuhl, Germany.
|
