Airborne soldier killed; Army looking into possible friendly fire

Airborne soldier killed; Army looking into possible friendly fire
Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, January 29, 2008

A 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team soldier killed Saturday in Afghanistan might have been a victim of friendly fire, according to a Defense Department release posted on its Web site on Monday morning.

The DOD has identified the soldier as Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Ryan Kahler of the Vicenza, Italy-based 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment.

According to a DOD release, Kahler, 29, was killed by small-arms fire in the village of Waygul. The Army is investigating the incident, which it says might have been the result of friendly fire. An Afghan guard reportedly fired the fatal shots.

That release, however, was removed from the Web site later in the day.

Lt. Col. George Wright from the Army public affairs office said there were a “couple errors” in the original posting and that a new one should be posted soon. Asked if the information was incorrect or just posted prematurely, Wright replied: “The circumstances around his death are still being investigated.”


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52006