'Friendly-fire' US pilot punished

The deaths were Canada's worst wartime losses for decades

A US pilot who bombed a team of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, killing four of them, has been fined and reprimanded by the US air force.

Maj Harry Schmidt, 38, forfeited $5,672 in pay and was found guilty of "wilful misconduct" and dereliction of duty.

He was said to have acted "shamefully" by ignoring orders and lying.

Maj Schmidt had said he mistook the Canadians for Taleban gunmen in the April 2002 "friendly-fire" incident, which provoked outrage in Canada.

He had claimed his superiors had not informed him the Canadian troops would be conducting military exercises on the outskirts of the southern Afghan city of Kandahar.

No permission

Initial charges of manslaughter and aggravated assault against the pilot were reduced last year to dereliction of duty.

Last month, the pilot was told he would not face a court martial but would instead by judged by a general, overseeing a "non-judicial forum".

A US-Canadian inquiry into the incident - the worst "friendly-fire" case in the Afghan campaign - found Maj Schmidt and his co-pilot had decided to bomb their target without waiting for their commander's permission.

As well as the four deaths, several Canadian soldiers were also hurt in the attack.

The case sparked public soul-searching in Canada, which at the time had contributed more than 800 troops to the US-led coalition in Afghanistan.