Helo Crash

[Spartan359]

CNN first reported this as a bunch of SEALs in the helo, the website says nothing. They also reported that the Taliban has footage of them shooting down the helo and terminating the survivers.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...bkpDo&refer=us

[CPTAUSRET]

I also heard SEALs.

Bad day.

Terry

[12B4S]

Yes. A bad day. My question is this. Who is packing men in a Chinook and sending it over hostile territory? (That can be expounded on). I think back to Operation Anaconda. Going into that DZ with Chinooks was just plain idiotic. Not to mention the mix of Services involved.

Here's why! The leg powers to be and or are, want to save bucks!!!

[Max_Tab]

Originally Posted by 12B4S

Yes. A bad day. My question is this. Who is packing men in a Chinook and sending it over hostile territory? (That can be expounded on). I think back to Operation Anaconda. Going into that DZ with Chinooks was just plain idiotic. Not to mention the mix of Services involved.

Here's why! The leg powers to be and or are, want to save bucks!!!

Granted there are other methods of infil, but what's wrong with going in, in a chinook? And pretty much everywhere over there is "hostile territory"

[Spartan359]

When I first saw the report on TV they stated that they were extracting. And somewhere along the lines between CNN and a few other websites it's been said that two are missing. Hopefully they are alive and well and causing trouble for the assholes that shot them down.

[sf11b_p]

MH-47 Rueters report

[jasonglh]

Thoughts go out to the friends and family of those involved. I'm sure its been a long night for many as will the next few.

As far as the MH-47 goes are there not many places in the mountains where only the MH-47 can fly high enough to be used?

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by jasonglh

Thoughts go out to the friends and family of those involved. I'm sure its been a long night for many as will the next few.

As far as the MH-47 goes are there not many places in the mountains where only the MH-47 can fly high enough to be used?

Correct.

The PZ/LZ altitude or flight path exceeds the service ceiling and lift of other Army aircraft.

Last I heard, the AF started standing down their heavy rotary wing assets (MH-53s) in 1999 in preparation of receiving the CV-22 Osprey, whenever that might be.

The Navy has no dedicated SOF RW lift, the AF has little to none, and there is only one MH-47 battalion in the Army.

The Chinook is the only SOF aircraft in theater with the ceiling and lift to make it.

Also, this is not your father's Chinook. The MH-47 has some skills and special tricks.

TR

[MinerDiver]

It was SEALS coming to help out SF

[Archangel]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050630/...NlYwMlJVRPUCUl

KABUL, Afghanistan - Rescuers have reached the wreckage of a U.S. special forces helicopter that crashed in a rugged mountain ravine in eastern Afghanistan, but there was no immediate word on the fate of the 17 troops on board, a U.S. military spokesman said Thursday.

"We are at the wreckage as we speak," Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara told The Associated Press. "We are conducting search and recovery operations. But we are more into the recovery stage."

He declined to elaborate on efforts to find survivors or the bodies of the 17, who were believed to have died in Tuesday's crash.

The British Broadcasting Corp. reported on its Web site that U.S. officials at the main American base near the crash site said 13 bodies had been recovered. Seven other soldiers, including some that were fighting on the ground, were missing, the BBC reported.


The British Broadcasting Corp. reported on its Web site that U.S. officials at the main American base near the crash site said 13 bodies had been recovered. Seven other soldiers, including some that were fighting on the ground, were missing, the BBC reported.

U.S. spokeswomen Lt. Cindy Moore declined to comment on the report, saying the military would release a new statement on the crash later Thursday.

A military statement said U.S.-led coalition forces were "currently assessing the cause of the crash and the status of the 17 servicemembers who were on board the MH-47 helicopter."

The 17 on the helicopter comprise eight Navy SEALs and nine Army air crew from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, which is based at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., and Fort Campbell, Ky., military officials said Thursday. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the military has not formally announced the makeup of the forces on board.

O'Hara said "there are still bad guys in the area" around the crash site and that troops were having to "do a recovery and a tactical operation at the same time."

Militants are believed to have shot down the MH-47 helicopter as it was bringing in reinforcements for a battle with suspected al-Qaida fighters.

If those aboard are confirmed dead, the crash would be the deadliest blow yet to American forces in Afghanistan, already grappling with an insurgency that is widening rather than winding down.

A storm that hampered rescuers from reaching the wreckage Wednesday had passed by Thursday. Recovery operations also have been made difficult by the rugged terrain of the remote crash site, reachable only by foot, and continued fighting with militants.

Officials in the United States said they knew of no communications from the crash site near Asadabad, in eastern Kunar province.

Even before word of the crash was announced, a Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility and said he had footage of the attack. As of Thursday, no video had surfaced.

U.S. military spokesman Col. James Yonts said the helicopter was fired on as it approached a landing zone in the mountains. It flew on but crashed about a mile away at dusk.

American officials cited reports from the region that the helicopter either crashed or made a perilous landing on the mountainside, then went down in the ravine, suggesting little hope of survival. They said, however, they could not confirm the deaths, and they spoke on condition of anonymity since rescue operations were ongoing.

Only eight months ago, Afghan and U.S. officials were hailing a relatively peaceful presidential election here as a sign that the Taliban rebellion was finished. That bravado has been yet another casualty in a war some feel could escalate into a conflict on the scale of Iraq's.

The loss of the helicopter follows three months of unprecedented fighting that has killed about 465 suspected insurgents, 43 Afghan police and soldiers, 125 civilians, and 29 U.S. troops. Afghan and American officials have predicted the situation will deteriorate before legislative elections are held in September.

The Taliban have stepped up attacks, and there are disturbing signs that foreign fighters — including some linked to al-Qaida — might be making a new push to sow mayhem. Afghan officials say the fighters have used the porous border with Pakistan to enter the country, and officials have called on the Pakistani government do more to stop them.

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.

___

Associated Press reporter John J. Lumpkin in Washington contributed to this report.

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by MinerDiver

It was SEALS coming to help out SF

Is that fact, or opinion?

TR

[Roguish Lawyer]

TR, I read that the downed helo was ferrying part of a QRF, but there was no indication in the story of who the QRF was relieving.

[Roguish Lawyer]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...F&SECTION=HOME

Jun 30, 3:57 PM EDT

All 16 U.S. Troops Killed in Afghan Crash

By DANIEL COONEY
Associated Press Writer

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- All 16 U.S. troops on a special forces helicopter were killed when the chopper was shot down by insurgents, the U.S. military said Thursday after rescuers recovered the bodies from the wreckage in a mountainous ravine.

The MH-47 Chinook helicopter went down Tuesday in eastern Afghanistan while ferrying troops to a battle against militants - the deadliest single blow to American forces who ousted the Taliban in 2001 for harboring al-Qaida and are now grappling with an escalating insurgency.

"At this point, we have recovered all 16 bodies of those servicemen who were onboard the MH-47 helicopter that crashed on Tuesday," Lt. Gen. James Conway, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon.

The dead on the helicopter included eight Navy SEALs and eight Army air crew, a U.S. official said in Washington.

Authorities initially reported 17 people were on board, but the manifest included a person who apparently missed the flight, military officials said.

Conway said the military did not yet have a full account of all ground troops involved in the operation, although "we do not have any people classified as missing at this point."

He would provide no details when asked what was known about the troops on the ground that the helicopter was sent to aid.

"I can only say that it is an ongoing operation in that context, and we don't have full accountability nor will we until such time as the operation is complete," he said.

Rescuers reached the crash site Thursday, about 36 hours after the chopper went down in high mountains near the town of Asadabad, close to the border with Pakistan, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara told The Associated Press.

A purported Taliban spokesman, Mullah Latif Hakimi, claimed the group shot down the helicopter, and also said there was video of the attack. No video has been released, however, and the spokesman could not be reached Thursday.

Conway said it appears an unguided rocket-propelled grenade hit the chopper. He called it "a pretty lucky shot against a helicopter."

He said it appears the troops on board died during the crash and not during a fight on the ground afterward.

A storm that hampered rescuers from reaching the wreckage Wednesday was over Thursday. Recovery operations also were hindered by the rugged terrain of the remote crash site, which could be reached only by foot, and by continued fighting with militants.

O'Hara said "there are still bad guys in the area" around the crash site and that troops were having to "do a recovery and a tactical operation at the same time."

Only eight months ago, Afghan and U.S. officials were hailing a relatively peaceful presidential election as a sign that the Taliban rebellion was finished. That bravado has been yet another casualty in a war some feel could escalate into a conflict on the scale of Iraq's.

The loss of the helicopter follows three months of unprecedented fighting that has killed about 465 suspected insurgents, 43 Afghan police and soldiers, 125 civilians, and 45 U.S. troops, including the 16 killed in Tuesday's crash. Afghan and American officials have predicted the situation will deteriorate before legislative elections in September.

The remnants of the former Taliban regime have stepped up attacks, and there are disturbing signs that foreign fighters - including some linked to al-Qaida - might be making a new push to sow mayhem. Afghan officials say the fighters have used the porous border with Pakistan to enter the country, and officials have called on the Pakistani government do more to stop them.

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.

---

Associated Press reporter John J. Lumpkin in Washington contributed to this report.

[QRQ 30]

Hmmmmm! I wonder where MinerDiver got his intrel!

Conway said the military did not yet have a full account of all ground troops involved in the operation, although "we do not have any people classified as missing at this point."

He would provide no details when asked what was known about the troops on the ground that the helicopter was sent to aid.

Those who love to conjecture, remember that the lid of security is battened down for 20 years. That is why, just now, the books and stories of MACV SOG are flourishing. Depending upon when the unit finally shut down it wasn't declassified until 1995 or later. Guess all you want but you don't know unless you were there and if you were there you aren't talking (publicly). And if you are they may have some big rocks at Levenworth that need to be made smaller.

[Smokin Joe]

RIP


Anyone have contact info for Ryan?