UK: Iraqi bombs not accident damaged plane in 2007

The British military acknowledged Friday that one of its planes carrying more than 60 people in Iraq was damaged by insurgent fire - more than a year after it said there was no immediate indication of hostile action.

The captain of the Super Hercules transport was blinded by the explosive flash as he attempted to land at an airstrip in southeastern Iraqi province of Maysan on Feb. 12, 2007, according to a report on the Ministry of Defense's Web site.

The transport plane caught fire and veered off the runway after being hit by two hidden bombs - but its 58 passengers and six crew managed to escape. There were no other serious injuries. Under threat from insurgent forces, the British destroyed the aircraft rather than try to repair it.

Officials did not mention the attack when reporting on the damage to the media, telling The Associated Press the following day that there were no immediate signs of enemy action.

But the report shows that British forces suspected the use of improvised explosive devices and notes that a second plane in the area was warned not to use the runway "since there were concerns that the incident was caused by IEDs."

The report also offers support for officials in their handling of the information.

The "well-reasoned approach to the release of information surrounding this incident and the subsequent (aircraft) destruction, resulted in minimal media interest," the report said.

It said that the reduced coverage denied Britain's enemies the opportunity to score propaganda points from the destruction of the technologically advanced aircraft.

A British military spokesman said late Friday that Britain's Ministry of Defense had not been trying to mislead reporters. He noted that the attack took place late in the day and that it took a while to establish the facts surrounding the incident. He spoke anonymously in line with military policy.

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On the Net:

Board of Inquiry into Accident involving Hercules C130: http://tinyurl.com/6344e9