Italian pilots cleared of cowardice

FOUR Italian army pilots who refused to fly in Iraq, citing safety concerns, were cleared of cowardice charges by a military judge yesterday.

The pilots, from the 26th squadron of the army's aviation unit, had been flying helicopter missions out of the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah when a November 2003 suicide bomber killed 30 people, 19 of them Italian.

After the attack the four told their superiors they no longer felt safe in Iraq and returned home about a month later some three months ahead of their normal rotation.

They were put under investigation and charged with cowardice.

Defence lawyer Franco Coppi said, "It's a great satisfaction. We have proven that they didn't act out of fear, but only out of a spirit of professionalism."

They had argued that their helicopters were not adequately equipped with anti-missile systems.