Posted on 01/28/2020 5:45:57 AM PST by Zhang Fei
The Pentagon has denied the Taliban shot down a US military plane over Afghanistan killing everyone on board, despite the terror group claiming responsibility.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the militant group, said that high-ranking American officers were among the dead after the aircraft was brought down in Dih Yak district around 1.10pm local time.
US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said there were no indications so far that the plane had been brought down by enemy activity.
One of the officials said there were believed to be fewer than 10 people on board the small military plane.
It comes after footage was posted online by a Taliban-affiliated journalist showed wreckage of the plane with a US Air Force symbol on the side.
Footage taken by journalist Tariq Ghazniwal shows the burning remains of a jet lying in the snow as several people stand around filming.
Whilst most of the jet is a charred wreck, a USAF symbol is clearly visible on an engine attached to the tail fin of the plane.
The plane could be a Bombardier E-11A aircraft, which the US military uses for electronic surveillance over Afghanistan.
The highly-specialised aircraft work alongside drones to provide 24/7 support for US forces by linking incompatible communications systems together, which is especially vital when carrying out airstrikes.
The US Defense Department confirmed that a military jet crashed in Ghazni province in Afghanistan, but rejected Taliban suggestions that it was shot down.
Afghanistan US Forces spokesman Colonel Sonny Leggett confirmed in a statement that the aircraft was a US Bombardier E-11A, a type of jet used as an airborne communications node in the region.
'While the cause of crash is under investigation, there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire,' Leggett said.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Why are we still there?
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I think Eisenhower addressed that in his farewell address. Recall his admonitions about “misplaced power” and the military industrial complex.
You make a good point.
MI Ping
As a % of national output, military spending is down 50% from Eisenhower's time. The civilian spending has doubled. There's a private sector-government cabal, but it's not in defense.
The real reason we're there? Genocide is not an option, but standing aside as future 9/11's are plotted in Afghanistan is not an option either.
but standing aside as future 9/11’s are plotted in Afghanistan is not an option either.
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So we’re there forever?
I don’t know anything about warfare tech, but could the plane have been brought down by a laser from a satellite?
“The real reason we’re there? Genocide is not an option, but standing aside as future 9/11’s are plotted in Afghanistan is not an option either. “
Absolutely correct! I think our defense spending should go even higher. Its not just the Idontgivea@#$@#astan countries we need to worry about. A strong nation is a free nation politics aside.
[So we’re there forever?]
The Afghan government isn’t uniquely incompetent. The problem is that unlike say, the Colombian government, which has fought a guerrilla insurgency for 50 years, but has been fairly stable in recent decades, the Afghan regime is brand spanking new as governments go. So the funding will taper down as the government gets its act together to the extent one can in that region of the world.
If you’re interested, the numbers for spending in Afghanistan and Iraq are on page 16 of this Congressional Budget Office document:
https://www.cbo.gov/system/files?file=2018-10/54219-oco_spending.pdf
The latest, unconfirmed report is that it crashed due to failure of the onboard oxygen system. Pilots were unconscious due to hypoxia. The aircraft belly landed on autopilot. 4 were onboard.
They were likely dead if oxygen failed.
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The intact fuselage indicates a survivable landing.
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The onboard BACN electronics has a self-destruct, likely the source of the fire.
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We would have had a QRF onsite if there might have been survivors.
It’s not?
[It’s not?]
I will serve gratefully!
[The latest, unconfirmed report is that it crashed due to failure of the onboard oxygen system. Pilots were unconscious due to hypoxia. The aircraft belly landed on autopilot. 4 were onboard.]
I read this am that the Towelaban attacked the QRF team which was apparently mostly Iraqi.
Indicates a low angle impact.
You can see by the video the Taliban all over.
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If there were a QRF, there would be nothing but dead Taliban and a large crater.
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We would have sanitized the site by air assets. We love large gatherings of the enemy.
Not really.
MIC was something he recognized and respected and acknowledged as a need. He cautioned politico’s and The People to make good use because the days of changing from making washing-machines to war machines overnight was no more.
His real admonishment was directed at academia.
(I’ve read his notes and drafts and they provide true insight about what his thoughts truly were. He was not hostile to the defense industry).
Post 39. . .you are correct.
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