ASSOCIATED PRESS U.S. Army Capt. Jason Amerine, of Honolulu, was among the servicemen who talked yesterday about the injuries they received in Afghanistan due to "friendly fire." Three U.S. soldiers were killed.

Hawaii native
feels ‘numb’ after
Afghan bomb blast

He was leading a Special
Forces team when they
were hit by friendly fire

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By David McHugh
Associated Press

LANDSTUHL, Germany >> Four U.S. servicemen injured by a stray American bomb in Afghanistan said yesterday that the deaths of three comrades in the accident had left them "pretty numb" but expressed pride in their mission.

The men, being treated at a U.S. military hospital here, were among 20 U.S. troops injured in the blast.

They were brought to Germany for treatment after the one-ton bomb, intended to hit Taliban forces making their last stand near Kandahar, landed Wednesday less than 100 yards from their position.

Capt. Jason Amerine, 30, of the U.S. Army 5th Special Forces Group, based at Fort Campbell, Ky., said his team had been on a hilltop directing airstrikes against a Taliban position about two miles away when the bomb hit, and had not been under attack.

Amerine was leading an 11-member Special Forces team, which was accompanied by 16 other U.S. soldiers and a group of Afghan fighters.

"Out of the blue, our position exploded," the Honolulu native told a news conference at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. "The explosion came and I was thrown over the side of the hill."

Amerine was wounded in the thigh by shrapnel, while he, along with three colleagues who attended the news conference, had damaged eardrums.

"We're all pretty numb," Amerine said. "Our prayers are with our wounded and with the families of the men who didn't survive."

He stressed that "all these men are heroes and they should be remembered for what they accomplished in Afghanistan -- not as victims of an accident."

Amerine said his team had been in Afghanistan for about a month, directing airstrikes and helping coordinate the efforts of Afghan anti-Taliban fighters.

"There are a lot of different ways it could have happened," Amerine said of the accident's possible cause. "I don't think blame is so important here."