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More Than a Dozen US Troops Trapped Amid Afghanistan Firefight (Update: Some rescued)
Fox News ^ | Tuesday, January 5, 2016 | Jennifer Griffin and Lucas Tomlinson

Posted on 01/05/2016 3:33:37 PM PST by kristinn

More than a dozen U.S. Army special operations soldiers and a rescue helicopter flight crew are trapped in Marjah, Afghanistan, taking cover in a compound surrounded by enemy fire and hostile Taliban fighters after a U.S. special operations solider was killed earlier in the day, senior U.S. defense officials told Fox News late Tuesday.

A U.S. official described the "harrowing" scene to Fox News, saying there were enemy forces surrounding the compound in which the special operations team sought refuge.

"On the map there is one green dot representing friendly forces stuck in the compound, and around it is a sea of red [representing hostile forces]," the official told Fox News.

A team of nearly 12 special operations forces, including the body of the solider killed Tuesday as well as two other Americans wounded in the fighting remain inside the compound overnight awaiting rescue while fending off the Taliban.

An AC-130 gunship has been called in for air cover as the U.S. troops now wait out the night.

Earlier in the day, two USAF HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters were sent to rescue the U.S. special operations team. One of the helicopters took fire and waved off the mission and flew back to base.

The other helicopter's blades struck the wall of the compound while attempting a rescue of the special operations team, according to defense officials...

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; prayer
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Jennifer Griffin just updated on air during Special Report that some troopers were just rescued while others stayed behind to keep the damaged helicopter from falling into enemy hands.
1 posted on 01/05/2016 3:33:37 PM PST by kristinn
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To: kristinn

This is from the 50 Obama announced to Iris we had coming?


2 posted on 01/05/2016 3:34:33 PM PST by A CA Guy ( God Bless America, God Bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: kristinn

“More than a dozen U.S. Army special operations soldiers and a rescue helicopter flight crew are trapped in Marjah, Afghanistan”

We’ve got them cornered now!

(Good luck, G-d Bless, and RAIN FIRE AND HELL DOWN ON THE MUZZIES!!!!)


3 posted on 01/05/2016 3:34:38 PM PST by Uncle Miltie (Rubio not voting on OmniSpend is RINO for 'smart'.)
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To: A CA Guy

Isis...


4 posted on 01/05/2016 3:35:01 PM PST by A CA Guy ( God Bless America, God Bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: kristinn
"An AC-130 gunship has been called in for air cover"

Spooky!!!


5 posted on 01/05/2016 3:35:58 PM PST by Uncle Miltie (Rubio not voting on OmniSpend is RINO for 'smart'.)
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To: kristinn

Prayers for our fighting men against the Islamic scum may they unleash the fire’s of hell upon them.


6 posted on 01/05/2016 3:36:27 PM PST by StoneWall Brigade
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To: kristinn

How fricking long to get a spectre 130 out there for Gods sake?


7 posted on 01/05/2016 3:41:23 PM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: kristinn

Where are all those predator drones with hellfire missiles?


8 posted on 01/05/2016 3:43:21 PM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: kristinn

Where are the B-1 and B-2 bombers and some cruise missiles?


9 posted on 01/05/2016 3:43:31 PM PST by McGruff (Desperation does not look good on anyone.)
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To: McGruff

That’s what I wanna know.


10 posted on 01/05/2016 3:44:20 PM PST by StoneWall Brigade
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To: A CA Guy

Where is Obama right now? Where is Doug Schulman? Pray for our heroes, and God Damn Obama.


11 posted on 01/05/2016 3:44:42 PM PST by matthew fuller (Americans want to win, especially after seven years of a muslim surrender monkey that hates America!)
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To: Georgia Girl 2

Benghazi redux. All part of O’Venal’s grand strategy.


12 posted on 01/05/2016 3:47:08 PM PST by A Formerly Proud Canadian (I once was blind but now I see...)
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To: Georgia Girl 2

They’re probably over Oregon.

I don’t get why all available air support wasn’t on site and hammering the living hell out of the hostiles. In a sane and normal world, air power would turn the surrounding area into ash.


13 posted on 01/05/2016 3:48:19 PM PST by Bulwyf
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To: kristinn

Obama, the great TV ham actor, has retired from his busy day of emoting on TV, screwing Americans, and shredding the US Constitution.

He simply does not have the time or energy to be concerned over piffles like this.


14 posted on 01/05/2016 3:49:39 PM PST by Iron Munro (The wise have stores of choice food and oil but a foolish man devours all he has. Proverbs 21:20)
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To: kristinn

With anyone except the halfrican mooselimb, there would have been the C130 gunship on the scene pronto the give the Talibun a lesson in fire-power.


15 posted on 01/05/2016 3:49:53 PM PST by X-spurt (CRUZ missile - armed and ready.)
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To: kristinn

When in a gunfight, the side with air support has a decided advantage. The voice of experience. Thank you to the USAF.


16 posted on 01/05/2016 3:50:58 PM PST by centurion316
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To: Georgia Girl 2

They are re-deployed to Oregon.


17 posted on 01/05/2016 3:51:32 PM PST by X-spurt (CRUZ missile - armed and ready.)
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To: kristinn

Prayers up for our spec ops.


18 posted on 01/05/2016 3:52:08 PM PST by FourPeas (Chocolate, sugar and lots of caffeine. Hard to beat that.)
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To: rodguy911; cva66snipe; carriage_hill

For y’all’s interests


19 posted on 01/05/2016 3:52:23 PM PST by StoneWall Brigade
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To: kristinn
AC-130s only operate at night, because they are too vulnerable during the daylight.

  AC-130U (Spooky II)
  operated by the 4th Special Operations Squadron
  armed with:
   1 x 25mm GAU-12/U gatling gun (1800 rpm)
  1 x 40mm L60 Bofors cannon (120 rpm)
  1 x 10mm M102 howitzer (6-10 rpm)

AC-130Us are pressurized, allowing them to operate 5000ft higher then the H models, which results in a greater range.

Note: AFSOC retired the AC-130H Spectre from service in 2014. The Spectre is being replaced with the AC-130J Ghostrider

AC-130J Systems
The weapons kit is essentially the same as that found on the AC-130W Stinger II, namely the Precision Strike Package (PSP). This is a modular package which can see a variety of air-to-ground armaments fitted. These include:
  Wing-mounted GBU-39 Small-Diameter Bombs (SDB's)
  Bushmaster II Mk44 30mm gun
  Gunslinger weapons system featuring an internally-housed launch tube capable of deploying up to 10 GBU-44/B Viper Strike or Griffin small standoff munitions

Later iterations of the AC-130J weapons package may include a 105mm howitzer, as can be found on existing AC-130H/U models, and wing-mounted laser-guide AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.

The Precision Strike Package also features an array of sensors and targetting systems:
  A dual-console mission operator pallet fitted in the cargo bay
  2 x dual electro-optical infrared sensor pods
  synthetic aperture radar pod
  pilot helmet-mounted cueing system
  advanced communication suite

Aside from the addtion of the PSP, the Ghostrider is almost identical to the Commando II it derives from. One difference is that while the AC-130J maintains the MC-130J's ability to refuel from airborne tankers it loses the ability to refuel others.

One important difference between the AC-130J and existing AC-130U gunships is in the realm of armor. The AC-130U Spooky has armor designed to protect crew and critical systems from a strike from a 37 mm high-explosive incendiary at a range of 10,000 feet. The MC-130J, on the other hand, only protects crew stations (excluding the mission operator pallet) and oxygen systems from 7.62mm ball rounds at 100 meters range. Such armor may exclude the Ghostrider from certain low level operations.

AC-130J Ghostrider- Role
The AC-130J will fly close air support (CAS), armed reconnaissance and air interdiction missions. These may include providing on-call CAS to special ops or regular ground forces. The aircraft may also fly base defense missions and convoy escort operations.

20 posted on 01/05/2016 4:02:23 PM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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