Army rejects recommendation to punish officers after investigation found dereliction of duty

No punishment for officers after Afghan firefight

WASHINGTON — The Army is rejecting a recommendation to charge three officers with dereliction of duty for command failures that led to one of the deadliest firefights for U.S. forces in the Afghan war.

Families of the soldiers killed say they were briefed by Army officials on the decision Wednesday.

The attack at the small village of Wanat (WAH-naht) near the Pakistan border left nine American soldiers dead and 27 wounded. Their platoon-sized unit was attacked by as many as 200 insurgents during the early morning hours of July 13, 2008.

U.S. Central Command conducted a lengthy review of the battle and concluded the brigade, battalion and company commanders should be punished. But Army officials have the authority to reject that recommendation, and told the families that they did.