31 US troops were killed when the Chinook carrying them crashed.

May they rest in peace and condolences to the families and loved ones of these brave young men.

NATO helicopter crashes in Afghanistan, killing 31 U.S. troops - AlertNet

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be thankful that we can sleep peacefully at night whilst men and women we may never know stand ready to give
their lives without question for us and our loved ones knowing they may never see their loved ones again.

US helicopter 'shot down' by Taliban in Afghanistan

BBC News - US helicopter 'shot down' by Taliban in Afghanistan

Aug 6, 10:58 AM EDT

31 Americans, 7 Afghans killed in helicopter crash

By SOLOMON MOORE
Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A military helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan, killing 31 U.S. special operation troops and seven Afghan commandos, the country's president said Saturday. An American official said it was apparently shot down, in the deadliest single incident for American forces in the decade-long war.

The Taliban claimed they downed the helicopter with rocket fire while it was taking part in a raid on a house where insurgents were gathered in the province of Wardak late Friday. It said wreckage of the craft was strewn at the scene.

NATO confirmed the overnight crash took place and that there "was enemy activity in the area." But it said it was still investigating the cause and conducting a recovery operation at the site. It did not release details or casualty figures.

"We are in the process of accessing the facts," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Justin Brockhoff, a NATO spokesman.

But a senior U.S. administration official in Washington said it was apparently shot down by insurgents. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the crash is still being investigated.

President Barack Obama mourned the deaths of the American troops, saying in a statement that the crash serves as a reminder of the "extraordinary sacrifices" being made by the U.S. military and its families. He said he also mourned "the Afghans who died alongside our troops."

The death toll would surpass the worst single day loss of life for the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001 - the June 28, 2005 downing of a military helicopter in eastern Kunar province. In that incident, 16 Navy SEALs and Army special operations troops were killed when their craft was shot down while on a mission to rescue four SEALs under attack by the Taliban. Three of the SEALs being rescued were also killed and the fourth wounded. It was the highest one-day death toll for the Navy Special Warfare personnel since World War II.

With its steep mountain ranges, providing shelter for militants armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers, eastern Afghanistan is hazardous terrain for military aircraft. Large, slow-moving air transport carriers like the CH-47 Chinook are particularly vulnerable, often forced to ease their way through sheer valleys where insurgents can achieve more level lines of fire from mountainsides.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday gave the first public word of the new crash, saying in a statement that "a NATO helicopter crashed last night in Wardak province" and that 31 American special operations troops were killed. He expressed his condolences to President Barack Obama.

The helicopter was a twin-rotor Chinook, said an official at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he was receiving his information from an Afghan officer in Kabul.

The crash took place in the Sayd Abad district of Wardak province, said a provincial government spokesman, Shahidullah Shahid. The volatile region borders the province of Kabul where the Afghan capital is located and is known for its strong Taliban presence.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement that Taliban fighters downed the helicopter during a "heavy raid" in Sayd Abad. He said NATO attacked a house in Sayd Abad where insurgent fighters were gathering Friday night. During the battle, the fighters shot down the helicopter, killing 31 Americans and seven Afghans, he said, adding that eight insurgents were killed in the fight.

There have been at least 17 coalition and Afghan aircraft crashes in Afghanistan this year.

Most of the crashes were attributed to pilot errors, weather conditions or mechanical failures. However, the coalition has confirmed that at least one CH-47F Chinook helicopter was hit by a rocket propelled grenade on July 25. Two coalition crew members were injured in that attack.

Meanwhile, in the southern Helmand province, an Afghan government official said Saturday that NATO troops attacked a house and inadvertently killed eight members of a family, including women and children.

NATO said that Taliban fighters fired rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire at coalition troops during a patrol Friday in the Nad Ali district.

"Coalition forces responded with small arms fire and as the incident continued, an air strike was employed against the insurgent position," said Brockhoff. He added that NATO sent a delegation to meet with local leaders and investigate the incident.

Nad Ali district police chief Shadi Khan said civilians died in the bombardment but that it was unknown how many insurgents were killed.

Helmand, a Taliban stronghold, is the deadliest province in Afghanistan for international troops.

NATO has come under harsh criticism in the past for accidentally killing civilians during operations against suspected insurgents. However, civilian death tallies by the United Nations show the insurgency is responsible for most war casualties involving noncombatants.

In south Afghanistan, NATO said two coalition service member were killed, one on Friday and another on Saturday. The international alliance did not release further details.

With the casualties from the helicopter crash, the deaths bring to 365 the number of coalition troops killed this year in Afghanistan and 42 this month.

http://www.drudgereport.com/
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...08-06-06-27-19

poor souls

365 Coalition Troops killed this year? Man,that's a lot. I didn't realize the casualties were that high this year. Our MSM doesn't seem very interested in covering the Afghan War much. I'm really not sure why.

That's bad but this is the unnecessary war Bush started. This is war and people die in wars.


Over One Million Iraqi Deaths Caused by US Occupation
#1. Over One Million Iraqi Deaths Caused by US Occupation | Project Censored

If this happened on Bush's watch we would have anti-war protestors on TV and marching around the USA, but not a peep with the "holy one" sitting in the White House.

There won't be a PR TV moment for Obama with this news story connected to Navy SEALs.

At this point, the US should either GTFO of that shithole, or go on a scorched earth campaign all the way inside of pakistan and utterly obliterate the taliban and its paki enablers.

The pakis are using american aid $$ to buy weapons used to then kill US soldiers, it is a surreal, lunatic circular game we have been playing for years, and it must end.

Do you people have any idea how fucking hard and expensive it is to find, train and graduate a single Navy SEAL? MILLIONS, and we just lost 31 of them - there are only about 600 ON EARTH IN TOTAL. This is an unimaginable loss to the country.

We are being bled in a useless shithole in afghanistan, which has far less US strategic national interests than syria or certainly iran, both of whom should have been attacked by US forces years ago.

But instead, we are wasting valuable resources and lives in afghanistan, an ungovernable, useless country still operating as if it is the year 750 AD. Either wipe out most of the population there - most of whom are taliban/al qaeda supporters, or just get out, period - and move towards syria and iran where our interests would be far better served.

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Ignored trash: mememe, Ergo, Jos, Eots, theliq, Shogun, Sunni Man, Nik, PF Tinmore...if you're looking for Shogun, ask Hillary in my avatar if she has found him...

Death to Iran!!! Death to Bashar!!! Death to Putin!!!

Another idiot....

"Bush started this war." Yeah, Bush was behind 9/11, right?

Oh, it was only Bush that wanted to get back at those behind 9/11.

Liberals weren't claiming Afghanistan was the "legit" war during the 2008 election?

You asshole just make things up week to week trying to look smart.

It was reported on the ABC News that the special ops were Navy Seals Team 6...the same team that got Bin Ladin. A real national tragedy.

I don't know if there is one already but I propose a very public memorial erected for these best of the best and bravest of the brave that have fallen.

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space!


HUGGY QUOTES "Only a fool would make a deal with the devil without looking at the devil in the details"
"I would give my left nut to be the guy who invented God"
"If you can imagine one thing..You can dream anything"
My friend Jay Craig: "Keep your basement clean..You never know when someone might want to go down there"

This is true. I've always said the "Anti-War Left" are by far the biggest frauds in America. Where are all those 'Human Shields' they sent over to save Saddam Hussein? Not seeing them being sent over to save ole Gaddafi huh? Why not? Do the Math. It's all about that 'D' & 'R' thing for these people.

Yea this War is over in my opinion. Nothing more to be gained over there.

The only quick way to end a war is to kill the civilians. It's an ugly truth.

yes, I just heard that too...for Christs sake...RIP.

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Naphta to Settembrini;
“It is ultimately a cruel misunderstanding of youth to believe it will find its heart’s desire in freedom, when truly, its deepest desire is to obey.” ( Der Zauberberg)

Obama, SOTU-2013;
'Nothing I'm proposing tonight should increase our deficit by a single dime.'

"Right now, we're spending more money to pay interest on debt than we'll spend on education, homeland security, transportation and veterans' benefits combined this year. Surely, there's something better to spend that money on. And those interest payments are a significant tax on Americans -- a debt tax that Washington doesn't want to talk about. And just wait until interest rates rise, because at some point they will".Obama, Senate speech 2006

The anti-military left has some diehards in Code Pink that are pissed at Obama for not surrendering to Al Qai'da, but many of the left-wing goons put down their pitchforks because they feel protesting Obama will hurt their overall socialist agenda with non-military issues.

They are willing to sit on their hands for Obama in order to ruin our economy and society.