BRITISH soldiers and RAF crew were shot at by allies in a terrifying bungle at a military air base.

       Sentries fired on a minibus, with a bullet tearing through the soft-skinned vehicle.

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       British soldiers and RAF crew were shot at by allies in a terrifying bungle at a military air base Credit: Peter Jordan

       The driver floored the accelerator and took evasive action as soldiers screamed at the guards in a watchtower to hold fire.

       A source told The Sun: “It was nearly a disaster.

       "They were aimed shots at a moving vehicle.

       "Inches either way and someone’s mum was getting a knock on the door.”

       The Brits, attached to France’s counter-terror mission in Gao, Mali, were shot at while driving by the runway of their base.

       But the trigger-happy sentries, from Estonia, blamed the Brits for failing to fill out the right papers to log the journey.

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       Estonian Defence Force spokesman Capt Taavi Karotamm said: “All procedures were correctly followed by Estonian troops and no Estonian or allied personnel were harmed.”

       The MoD confirmed the incident.

       The UK has 100 RAF personnel and 310 troops deployed in Gao.

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