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Afghanistan/South Asia
U.S. Helicopter Crashes in Afghanistan
2005-06-29
A U.S. CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter, which a military official said may have been carrying 15 to 20 people, crashed Tuesday while ferrying reinforcements to fight insurgents in a mountainous region in eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban claimed to have shot down the aircraft. The fate of those on board the helicopter, which crashed near Asadabad in Kunar province, was not immediately known, the U.S. military said. A statement said the cause of the crash was unclear.

Other helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were sent to the crash site, the military said. Other details were not available, according to U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara. In Washington, a U.S. military official said early reports indicated 15 to 20 people were on board. There was no word on their condition, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because it involved initial operational reports. Provincial Gov. Asadullah Wafa told The Associated Press that the Taliban downed the aircraft with a rocket. He gave no other details. Purported Taliban spokesman Mullah Latif Hakimi telephoned the AP before news of the crash was released and said the rebels shot the helicopter down.
Posted by:Fred

#5  I heard a little snippet on the complimentary TV at the laundry I wash clothes at that said that after the helicopter had crashed, the enemy went in and killed what survivors there were. If there's any truth to this, from here on out, U.S. soldiers should completely destroy by fire any enemy forces they encounter. Leave nothing on the battlefield but bits of flesh and bone. Time to grind these "insurgents" underfoot COMPLETELY.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2005-06-29 22:25  

#4  That "someone" would be our "pals" in the Pakistani Armed Forces.
Posted by: Omavitch Cravitch1380   2005-06-29 18:29  

#3  He said the rebels filmed the attack and would release the video to the media.

Sounds like someone told them the Chinook was coming if they were ready to film it.
Posted by: Charles   2005-06-29 17:18  

#2  Update. Not good.

KABUL, Afghanistan (CBS) A senior military official believes the 17 American service members aboard a U.S. Chinook helicopter that crashed in Afghanistan on Tuesday were believed to have been killed, CBS News has learned.
The senior Pentagon official spoke on condition of anonymity after the military earlier said the U.S. Chinook helicopter was likely shot down by hostile fire."Initial reports indicate the crash may have been caused by hostile fire," a U.S. military statement said.
The Chinook helicopter was carrying members of a special operations unit into an operation against al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in the rugged mountains near the border with Pakistan when a second helicopter reported seeing an explosion, reports CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin.
"Coalition troops on the ground in this area came in contact with enemy forces and requested additional forces to be inserted into this operation," U.S. military spokesman Col. James Yonts told a news conference. "That is why there was an aircraft, that is how it arrived on the battlefield."
Purported Taliban spokesman Mullah Latif Hakimi telephoned the AP before news of the crash was released and said the rebels shot the helicopter down. He said the rebels filmed the attack and would release the video to the media. He also claimed that rebels killed seven U.S. soldiers in an attack in the same area, although U.S. spokeswomen Lt. Cindy Moore said no such attack had been made on an American convoy.
Posted by: tu3031   2005-06-29 15:38  

#1  when shithooks diverge..low %. I hope someone survived.
Posted by: Red Dog   2005-06-29 00:18  

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