NEW ORLEANS, July 8 (UPI) -- Maj. Harry Schmidt, accused in the accidental bombing that killed four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, is now suing the U.S. Air Force.
The fighter pilot, who is appealing a dereliction of duty verdict in the bombing case, will seek damages in his suit saying the air force released documents to the public about the case, his attorney said.
Charles Gittins said the unprecedented release of the documents was a violation of Schmidt's privacy, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Thursday.
On Tuesday, Schmidt was given a letter of reprimand and ordered to forfeit $5,600 in pay.
Schmidt was one of two National Guard pilots who dropped bombs during a nighttime, live-fire military exercise near Kandahar on an April 2002 mission. The four soldiers were the first Canadians killed in combat since the Korean War.
Schmidt maintains he was not briefed on the Canadian exercise before the flight. He says he was told Taliban fighters were active in the area.
