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Video shows ‘friendly’ bomb dropped too close to U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan

Posted at 4:04 PM, Feb 18, 2014
and last updated 2014-02-18 16:05:52-05

WARNING: Video contains profanity

A newly-released video allegedly shows U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan surviving a near-miss after a friendly aircraft drops a 500-pound bomb too close to their position.

The footage was posted Tuesday by Funker530.com, and quickly garnered tens of thousands of views. The website bills itself as a “veteran community” with photos and videos, according to the Army Times.

The video shows soldiers in Paktika province, Afghanistan, preparing for an airstrike against a sniper.

At the 18-second mark the bomb explodes and the soldiers hit the dirt, then make sure everyone is OK.

According to an interview with Funker530, the soldier who shot the video says his First Sergeant ordered everyone to “Stand To” in their firing positions shortly before the bomb was dropped, inadvertently saving the lives of at least three soldiers who would have been in the wooden building torn apart by shrapnel.

The explosion and shrapnel sheared holes into weapons, according to the soldier.

Read more at the Army Times