Britain tells America how to avoid 'friendly fire'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The army is training the American military to identify British troops so that they do not inadvertently kill them in "friendly fire" incidents in Iraq.
Army sources said Britain believed its troops could be in danger because America's identification methods were "sub-standard". The Army's intelligence corps is understood to be briefing the US army and air force on how to spot British tanks, uniforms and battle formations.
"They have all the kit but they are useless when it comes to spotting who is on their side," said one army source. "We are showing them how to do it, so our boys aren't hit."
In the Gulf War in 1991 nine British soldiers were killed when an American jet attacked British armoured vehicles by mistake, believing they belonged to Iraq. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said yesterday: "It's not simply a question of the specific type of kit, it is about how we operate."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments