NATO has admitted that a U.S. soldier shot a BBC journalist to death in July. The Guardian was the first to report the news that Ahmed Omed Khpulwak was killed by an American. Khpulwak was one of at least 19 people to die during a fight that erupted between the Taliban and American forces after the Taliban attacked an Afghan television station.
NATO said that the death was accidental, and military officials met with his family on Thursday to apologize for the "mistake." Khpulwak had worked as a stringer for the BBC since 2008. He also worked for an Afghan news service.
The official report (pdf) from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said that Khpulwak, 25, had died because of "mistaken identity." He was hiding from the fight when, according to ISAF, a soldier mistook him for a surviving Taliban fighter and took his movements as a sign that he was a suicide bomber.
Khpulwak's brother, Jawid, spoke to the Guardian after NATO's admission. "They thought he was a suicide bomber, but how?" he said. "He spoke English and would have been showing his press card." The BBC reported that Khpulwak sent Jawid two text messages during the attack. The first read: "I am hiding. Death has come." The second read: "pray for me if I die."