By Mark Duell A British Army sniper was fatally shot by a US fighter jet in Afghanistan after a mistake by the pilot meant he attacked the wrong site, an inquest heard today. Forces on the ground had called in air support after being attacked by insurgents in Helmand province. However, as well as having difficulty identifying landmarks when speaking to ground troops, the F18 pilot failed to enter coordinates for the strike. Fatally shot: New Zealand born Private John Howard, 23, was hit as he took cover in a ditch and died instantly As the pilot swooped to attack, Private John Howard, 23, was hit as he took cover in a ditch and died instantly, the inquest in Salisbury, Wiltshire, was told.
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Forces on ground called in air support after being attacked by insurgents
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F18 pilot had trouble identifying landmarks and did not enter coordinates
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Private John Howard, 23, was hit as he took cover in a ditch in Afghanistan
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Force had been sent to Nad-e Ali district to target 'compounds of interest'
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Coroner recorded narrative verdict and said 'communications issues' contributed to his death
An American @placeholder which had been circling the area was called in to carry out the attack, but a fault meant the pilot could not share his map with the ground commander, making it harder to be sure they were looking at the same point.