Italian army 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 today.

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

After the attack – Italy’s worst military loss since the Second World War - the four told their superiors they no longer felt safe in Iraq and returned home about month later - some three months ahead of their normal rotation.

They were put under investigation and charged with cowardice.

“They have been cleared,” 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.”

The four had claimed that their CH-47 helicopters were not adequately equipped with anti-missile systems.