Captain Nick Spratley (38), a member of the Jersey Field Squadron, saw two of the dead soldiers on Thursday and was involved in helping two other soldiers. Capt Spratley has been based in the southern Afghan village of Kajaki for around three weeks. He is currently a platoon commander in an Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (OMLT), working with the Afghan National Army (ANA) and a company of the Royal Anglian Regiment. The Ministry of Defence has since described the incident as a ‘human error’ and said that the fighter planes had been called in to give air support to ground troops. According to Capt Spratley, the OMLT and ANA were involved in the events, providing flank protection for the Royal Anglians when the incident happened. ‘The OMLT and the ANA extracted and secured an emergency helicopter landing site ready for the incident response team helicopter,’ he said. ‘The ANA helped in securing the area while we helped load the casualties. We then had to return to the scene and provide overwatch and protection while the other soldier was extracted.’ Capt Spratley was reluctant to go into too much detail about the incident but described it as a grave error. ‘All I will say is that it was a tragic accident and the United States Air Force have been superb in supporting our troops on the ground,’ he said.
