A British soldier, feared killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan, was probably shot by the Taliban with a bullet stolen from coalition forces, a coroner has ruled.
Sgt Major Mike Williams, of 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, was shot dead in Helmand Province in June last year as he led his men into battle.
However, his death was investigated after it emerged that the bullet which killed him was a Nato issue tracer round.
An inquest also heard that moments after the 41-year-old was hit, a colleague shouted: “It could be friendly fire.”
But the coroner said that the bullet, made in Cheshire, could have been stolen from an ammunition depot in Afghanistan or obtained by the enemy through illegal arms dealing.
Gwent coroner David Bowen said: "I'm satisfied that Mr Williams was more likely than not killed by enemy fire.
“The use of this bullet is not confined to British forces and could be obtained in the murky world of arms dealing.”
He added that Sgt Maj Williams had also been facing the enemy and not British forces when he was shot.
The inquest heard that the paratrooper was leading a dawn raid on a bridge on June 24 when his 10-man fire support group came under attack.
In what was described as one of the fiercest engagements in the eight-year conflict, they were hammered by rocket-propelled grenades, machine gun and small arms fire.
The fatal shot missed his bullet proof vest by just half-an-inch, passing through soft body armour into his chest.
Capt Nicholas Mys, commander of a platoon being protected by Sgt Maj Williams denied that any of his soldiers had fired towards him.
He said: "I was the only one opening fire and that was well before Sgt Major Williams was shot.
"His group were 30m behind my position. It was the heaviest and most sustained attack in my experience."
Lt Col Adam Dawson said the bullet which struck Sgt Major Williams was "standard Nato issue" – the same calibre used by the British Army and other Nato troops.
He told the inquest: "It is widely used throughout Afghanistan and in other theatres of war throughout the world.
"The Taliban have a vast array of weaponry, some of it acquired from when Russian forces were in occupation and some stolen from our forces."
The coroner recorded a verdict that he was killed on active service.
Mr Bowen said: "No one can be in any doubt there is a real war going on testing the bravery of our troops to the extreme in a very difficult environment."
{aying tribute at the time of his death, colleagues described Sgt Maj Williams, of Caerphilly, South Wales, as a "rock and a constant" whose professionalism and generosity had earned him "legendary status" in the Army.
Source:telegraph.co.uk
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