Pentagon Investigates Friendly-Fire Incident

The Pentagon may block promotions, force retirements or take other disciplinary action against individuals involved in the 1994 friendly-fire downing of two Army helicopters over northern Iraq, officials said Tuesday.

With no one facing criminal punishment in one of the worst friendly-fire incidents in decades, the Pentagon review will re-examine the actions of Army and Air Force personnel involved in the April 14, 1994, incident in which 25 people, 15 of them Americans, were killed.

“The idea has never been to absolve everybody. The idea is to look at the facts and follow through with appropriate action and that’s what is happening here,” Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon told reporters.

Although defense officials consider the criminal side of the case closed, Bacon described “a range of actions” against those who may have contributed to the tragedy, including blocking promotion, reducing performance ratings, reassignment, forced retirement and revocation of past awards.