Despite initial reports that said Linda Norgrove's Taliban captors detonated a bomb that killed her, a closer look reveals that a grenade thrown by American forces attempting to rescue Norgrove may have actually been the cause of her death. NATO is further investigating the incident (Imperator). After watching surveillance video, the rescue mission leader decided "it was not conclusive what the cause of her death was" (Vogt). .
British Prime Minister, David Cameron, defends the decision to attempt the rescue mission, despite its outcome (Imperator). "I am clear that the best chance of saving Linda's life was to go ahead, recognizing that any operation was fraught with risk for all those involved and success was by no means guaranteed," he said. "It is deeply regrettable, particularly for [the Norgrove family], that the information published on Saturday is highly likely to have been incorrect," he went on (Edwards). NATO's Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said that "whatever happened, I would like to stress that those who are responsible of course are the captors." The government authorized the mission after learning that Norgrove's life was in grave danger. Historically, the U.S.-led NATO force has been slow to acknowledge friendly fire deaths in Afghanistan. With an increased focus on preventing civilian deaths, NATO has increased its response time from weeks or months to minimum amount of time needed to report on mistakes (Vogt). .
The rescue team came under fire from within the Taliban compound, as well as from an overwatch position nearby. A spokesman at NATO headquarters in Kabul, Lt. Col. John Dorrian, reported that, "It was a very high elevation area, very very challenging terrain." According to his reports, the six gunmen who fought back against U.S. forces were killed, although women and children in the compound were not injured. No one from the U.S. rescue team was injured (Vogt).
