Posted on 06/29/2005 9:11:07 AM PDT by LSUfan
The U.S. military said Wednesday that hostile fire likely brought down a Chinook helicopter that crashed in eastern Afghanistan, and officials said the status of the 17 American servicemembers aboard was "unknown."
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.
It will take an investigation to determine whether or not this helicopter was, in fact, shot down, Martin added. If it was, this would be the first known instance of a helicopter being brought down by enemy fire. And if that means that the Taliban has figured out a way to shoot down American helicopters, this would be a major new threat, because helicopters are a primary means of transportation along those mountains.
The U.S.-backed mujahedeen war against Soviet occupiers in Afghanistan in the 1980s finally turned when the Afghan fighters figured out how to shoot down Soviet aircraft.
The helicopter went down in mountainous terrain near Asadabad, in Kunar province.
"The helicopter was transporting forces into the area as part of Operation Red Wing, which is part of the enduring fight to defeat al Qaeda militants," a military statement said. "Initial reports indicate the crash may have been caused by hostile fire. The status of the service members is unknown at this time."
U.S. spokeswomen Lt. Cindy Moore said no other details about those on board was available, nearly 24 hours after the crash occurred.
Concerns already have been on the rise that rebel attacks here have been escalating into a conflict on the scale of that in Iraq.
More than 660 people have been killed in Afghanistan since March including 465 suspected insurgents, 29 U.S. troops, 43 Afghan police and soldiers, and 125 civilians a level unprecedented since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001.
The military statement said coalition and Afghan troops had "quickly moved into position around the crash to block any enemy movement toward or away from the site" and that coalition support aircraft were overhead.
Kunar provincial police chief Abdul Gafar said coalition troops had been dropped by helicopters into the rugged mountains around the crash site. He said the government had proposed sending Afghan soldiers into the region, but the offer was declined by the coalition.
"This is a tragic event for all of us, and our hearts and prayers go out to the families, loved ones and men still fighting in the area," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Greg Champion, deputy commanding general of Combined Joint Task Force-76. "This incident will only further our resolve to defeat the enemies of peace."
Provincial Gov. Asadullah Wafa also told AP that the Taliban downed the aircraft with a rocket.
Purported Taliban spokesman Mullah Latif Hakimi telephoned The Associated Press before news of the crash was released Tuesday and claimed the insurgents shot it down. He said the rebels filmed the attack and would release the video to the media.
Hakimi often calls news organizations to claim responsibility for attacks on behalf of the Taliban. His information has frequently proven untrue or exaggerated, and his exact tie to the group's leadership is unclear.
The crash was the second of a Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan this year. On April 6, 15 U.S. service members and three American civilians were killed when their chopper went down in a sandstorm while returning to the main U.S. base at Bagram. The cause of that crash is still under investigation, military officials say.
Much of the recent fighting has been along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan. The U.S. military has launched operations along several parts of the frontier against al Qaeda and Taliban militants, as well as foreign fighters using high mountain passes to cross over from Pakistan.
The violence has left much of desperately poor Afghanistan off-limits to aid workers.
Afghan and U.S. officials have predicted that the situation will deteriorate in the lead-up to legislative elections in September the next key step toward democracy after a quarter-century of war.
THAT IS A REACH! THE MUJ WEREN'T SHOOTING DOWN TRANSPORT CHOPPERS AGAINST THE SOVS. THEY WERE KNOCKING DOWN GUNSHIPS AND SU-25 FROGFOOT CLOSE AIR SUPPORT A/C (SOV ANSWER TO THE A-10). WE LOSE ONE CHOPPER POSSIBLY TO HOSTILE FIRE--NOT EVEN CONFIRMED AS A MANPAD, COULD BE SMALL ARMS OR AAA--AND THIS REPORTER IS READY TO CALL A TURNING POINT IN THE WAR. AND THE TURN IS IN FAVOR OF THE ENEMY. I WONDER IF FREE ELECTIONS IN AFGHANISTAN WERE CONSIDERED A TURNING POINT BY THIS REPORTER?
"Concerns already have been on the rise that rebel attacks here have been escalating into a conflict on the scale of that in Iraq. "
"More than 660 people have been killed in Afghanistan since March including 465 suspected insurgents, 29 U.S. troops, 43 Afghan police and soldiers, and 125 civilians a level unprecedented since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001."
GOOD GRIEF. 465 OF THE 660 KIA SINCE MARCH HAVE BEEN BAD GUYS AND THIS REPORTER IS READY TO SAY THAT THE CONFLICT IS ESCALATING INTO A SCALE THE SIZE OF IRAQ??? WHAT IF WE HAD KILLED 4,000 HADJIS? I GUESS IT WOULD BE REALLY, REALLY BAD NEWS IN THAT CASE, HUH?
it's just like anything else- the right tools make the task easier. That shipment from China must have finally made it through.
Note the passive voice in this sentence -- that often means someone (like the writer) is lying.
I wonder who raised the concerns that Afghanistan is getting to be like Iraq.
I suspect no one knowledgable has raised these concerns -- otherwise there would be a quote. The reporter is just inserting his own views or hopes.
Exactly right! - Though the MSM knows who they are trying to influence (the uninformed and non-thinking soccer type Mom's of the world).
Continued prayers for those involved in this crash. And continued wishes that we hunt down those responsible if it was hostile fire that brought it down.
Right! If a couple of the 4000 Hadjis were female, and a couple of 'em were under age 21, reporters like this MSM slime would have written "women and children among the casualties"...
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