An English coroner has ruled that the friendly-fire death of a British soldier at the hands of American pilots in Iraq was 'criminal and entirely avoidable'.
Lance Corporal Matty Hull, who was 25, was killed and four others were wounded when two US warplanes attacked their convoy in March 2003.
Coroner Andrew Walker said the US pilots should have flown lower to confirm identities before opening fire.
He was also critical of the failure of the US authorities to co-operate and said the full facts of the incident had not yet come to light.
Susan Hull, 30, who has fought relentlessly to find the truth about how and why her husband died, just three days before his 26th birthday, welcomed today’s verdict.
Speaking after the inquest in Oxford, she said: 'I think all of our family feel it was the right verdict, it's what we waited four years to hear. There's a great sense of relief it's over. We heard what we waited to hear but, in fact, what that means for us is that Matthew's death was entirely avoidable.'
But the US Department of Defence disagreed, reacted by issuing a statement after the verdict claiming the death was a ‘tragic accident’.
A spokesperson said: 'The (US) investigation determined that the incident took place in a complex combat environment, the pilots followed applicable procedures and processes for engaging targets, believing they were engaging enemy targets, and that this was a tragic accident.'
He added that there was no cover-up and the US extended its deepest sympathies to the Hull family.
The US authorities came under fire by Mr Walker in his summing up, who said the 'pain and suffering' their lack of cooperation had caused the Hull family was inexcusable.
Democrats fail in withdrawal attempt
Meanwhile, the latest attempt US Democrats to force President George W Bush to set a deadline for a troop withdrawal from Iraq has failed to win enough votes in the Senate.
The measure needed the support of 60 Senators but was defeated by 50 votes to 48.
The plan would have obliged Mr Bush to begin reducing troop numbers within 120 days with the goal of a complete withdrawal by March next year.
The Senate Majority leader, Harry Reid, said Democrats would continue to press for US troop withdrawals despite the defeat.
