GULF IN BRIEF : BRITAIN : Controller Cleared Tragic Strike--BBC

The U.S. aircraft that killed nine British soldiers during the Gulf War was cleared to attack by a British air traffic controller, British Broadcasting Corp. radio reported. The soldiers were in a Warrior infantry vehicle that was hit by a missile fired from a U.S. A-10 antitank jet Feb. 27. According to U.S. military sources quoted by the BBC in a report from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the air controller cleared the A-10 to enter the area, saying that no friendly forces were within two miles. The A-10 opened fire on an armored column to the north, believing it to be Iraqi. “The incident is still under investigation, and we will not comment until we see a report,” a spokesman at Britain’s Ministry of Defense said.