AN INVESTIGATION was launched yesterday into the death of a British aid worker in Afghanistan after it emerged that she may have been killed by a grenade thrown by US special forces trying to rescue her.
US officials initially said Linda Norgrove (36) died after her captors detonated a bomb vest as American troops attempted to free her from militant kidnappers on Friday night.
But Gen David Petraeus, the American commander of the Nato-led Isaf force in Afghanistan, told British prime minister David Cameron yesterday that a second viewing of video recordings of the incident suggested that Ms Norgrove might have been the victim of “friendly fire”. In a statement, the US military said a review of surveillance footage and interviews with members of the rescue team “do not conclusively determine the cause of her death”.
The investigation was initiated by US central command and members of UK forces would be invited to contribute, said a spokesman.
Describing Ms Norgrove’s death as “a tragedy”, Mr Cameron promised to do “everything I possibly can” to give her family certainty about how she died.
He personally informed her family about the “deeply distressing development” in a phone call to her father John which delayed a scheduled Downing Street press conference this morning by almost an hour.
He told reporters the initial reports of how the hostage died were “deeply regrettable” but were made in good faith on the basis of the information available.
Mr Cameron praised the “bravery” shown by American troops, and said it would have been “quite unorthodox” for him to overrule commanders on the ground and insist on British special forces undertaking the rescue attempt in an area controlled by US forces. “Linda’s death is a tragedy for her family and those who worked alongside her in Afghanistan. She was a dedicated professional doing a job she loved in a country she loved,” he said.
“I am clear that the best chance of saving Linda’s life was to go ahead, recognising that any operation was fraught with risk for all those involved and success was by no means guaranteed.”
Speaking from the Isle of Lewis after his conversation with Mr Cameron, Mr Norgrove said: “We are not saying anything to the press at the moment. We might issue a statement in another day or two, we’re not certain, but now we are not saying anything.”