31 American Troops Killed In Afghanistan...

[daveman]

It has now been confirmed. Seal Team 6 has been decimated by the Taliban. This is incredibly shocking & disturbing. How did the Taliban know the exact location of Seal Team 6?

UPDATE: SEAL Team Six members among those killed in Afghanistan | Richmond Times-Dispatch

Damn. Damn, damn, damn.

Godspeed, guys. Thank you for your heroism, your service, and your sacrifice.

 

[asaratis]

Thoughts and prayers for all the families left behind. The ultimate sacrifice for freedom is one's life.

Theirs were taken in an unconventional war...the enemy soldiers are indistinguishable from the civilian populace in their dress. The enemy hides behind the civilian populace. It is no wonder that many civilians die.

The war against terrorism, particularly the Taliban must continue. To withdraw is to surrender and accept as inevitable the re-establishment and growth of repressive sharia law locally and the spreading of it to other countries.

They have modern weapons and the capability to blend into surrounding societies, travel freely around the world and strike seemingly randomly in any place they choose. We have superior weapons and well-equipped soldiers wearing uniforms and moving around in military vehicles.

This type of warfare is likely to continue until the earth explodes.

God bless the people that have the guts and strength to go to the fight.

 

[waltky]

Members of Navy Seal team 6 killed in downed helicopter...

31 U.S. Special Op Troops Killed in Chopper Crash in Afghanistan
Saturday, August 06, 2011 - U.S. official: Military helicopter shot down by insurgents

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.

The 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.

MORE

See also:

US special forces Afghan helicopter downed 'by Taliban'
6 August 2011 - BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Kabul says the crash was a significant loss for the international mission

Thirty US troops, said to be mostly special forces, have been killed, reportedly when a Taliban rocket downed their helicopter in east Afghanistan. Seven Afghan commandos and a civilian interpreter were also on the Chinook, officials say. US sources say the special forces were from the Navy Seal unit which killed Osama Bin Laden, but are "unlikely" to be the same personnel. This is the largest single US loss of life in the Afghan conflict.

The numbers of those killed have now been confirmed by the Nato-led mission in Afghanistan. The Chinook went down in the early hours of Saturday in Wardak province, said a statement from President Hamid Karzai's office. It was returning from an operation against the Taliban in which eight insurgents are believed to have been killed. A senior official of President Barack Obama's administration said the helicopter was apparently shot down, Associated Press news agency reports.

An official with the Nato-led coalition in Afghanistan told the New York Times the helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Kabul says it is rare for the Taliban to shoot down aircraft. The Taliban say they have modified their rocket-propelled grenades to improve their accuracy but that may not be true, our correspondent says.

'Enemy activity'

 

[whitehall]

The greatest Military force the world has ever seen is forced to play by the rules of rag-tag terrorists and timid politicians. It's a disgrace.

 

[strollingbones]

31 more gold star mothers

 

[GoneBezerk]

Let's...Bush was in the military, me too.

You...just a big-mouth with zero military time.

Actually, we never left Afghanistan we just handed over most of the mission under NATO.

That is exactly what liberals claim we should do, fight wars in an alliance/coalition. Of course, it's Bush's fault that NATO can't get the job done...eh?

It must be Bush's fault NATO is screwing up in Libya too, eh?

No. Of course not.

Of all the über-right wingers I know who advocate that we send our troops to be the world's policemen, not a single one of them has ever been in the service themselves. They're chickenhawks. I guess waving the flag and chanting "War! War! WAR!!!" makes them think they are patriotic.

 

[GoneBezerk]

Dumbfuck....Blackhawks also fly in the mountains too, they train in my hometown of Colorado Springs from Fort Carson.

They piled into the Chinook because it can carry more people, I should know after doing it in the Colorado mountains before.

I've never liked the Chinook for dangerous inserts, it is big and loud. A blackhawk is better but it carries less people, so someone soldout stealth for a larger strike force onboard.

Being the crack operations guys you claim to be, you would certainly know that TF 160 was undoubtedly flying these Chinooks and that their platforms are a little *ahem* different then the typical fair.

I would assume you would also know that, in a mountainous region like Wardak, the C-47 is one of the few platforms that has the horsepower to get around the Mountains in that part of the country.

Either way, this is a bad deal. The mission is still inherently dangerous and helicopter operations in that country is a very dangerous undertaking. I was almost in a crash on a routine flight to Bagram.

My condolences to the families of the fallen. American and Afghan.

 

[Colin]

Let's...Bush was in the military, me too.

You...just a big-mouth with zero military time.

Actually, we never left Afghanistan we just handed over most of the mission under NATO.

That is exactly what liberals claim we should do, fight wars in an alliance/coalition. Of course, it's Bush's fault that NATO can't get the job done...eh?

It must be Bush's fault NATO is screwing up in Libya too, eh?

No. Of course not.

Of all the über-right wingers I know who advocate that we send our troops to be the world's policemen, not a single one of them has ever been in the service themselves. They're chickenhawks. I guess waving the flag and chanting "War! War! WAR!!!" makes them think they are patriotic.

Only a big mouth would act like you in a condolences thread! Gonebezerk fits you well!

 

[Salt Jones]

What are you babbling about now?

Draft? I do recall Democrats wanted a stupid draft...

My point is none of the 31 were drafted into the military, they all joined of their own accord. Most had probably re-upped and knew the dangers they were facing. Their service and memory deserves more then yours and others partisan blame games.

I really hope that this isn't some sort of backhanded way of implying that since they volunteered, and weren't drafted, that their death is somehow less tragic or more deserving

They chose to go, they were doing what they chose to do. Their deaths are part of war and military life. I spent 20 years in Naval Aviation and death is part of the job. Every squadron I was in, every boat I was on, someone died performing their job. It's not political it's just the nature of the beast.

 

[Divine Wind]

Let's...Bush was in the military, me too.

You...just a big-mouth with zero military time.

You? Well, I won't call you a liar on that point since I have no way of knowing. OTOH, unless you retired out of the military, then, no sir, you don't have more time than me.

 

[GoneBezerk]

Try to pay attention...telling libs and losertarians that they're full of crap over their comments on Afghanistan is actually standing up for those dying over there and serving over there right now like many of my friends.

My friends prefer someone tell them to shut the hell up with their insults than cry over some dying over there.

The SEAL community will get back to work like professionals, just like Rangers, Green Berets, PJs, etc.

FYI....people are ignoring the Air Force Combat Controllers and Interpreter that died too, along with the pilots.

Let's...Bush was in the military, me too.

You...just a big-mouth with zero military time.

No. Of course not.

Of all the über-right wingers I know who advocate that we send our troops to be the world's policemen, not a single one of them has ever been in the service themselves. They're chickenhawks. I guess waving the flag and chanting "War! War! WAR!!!" makes them think they are patriotic.

Only a big mouth would act like you in a condolences thread! Gonebezerk fits you well!

 

[Divine Wind]

Only a big mouth would act like you in a condolences thread! Gonebezerk fits you well!

Agreed and I apologize for my part in disrupting this thread.

 

[GoneBezerk]

So a so-called retiree like you is calling us in the military chickenhawks for actually wanting to do the dirty work you didn't do.

You spend your time trying to run over people in the Commissary parking lot, while we are fighting terrorists.

Let's...Bush was in the military, me too.

You...just a big-mouth with zero military time.

You? Well, I won't call you a liar on that point since I have no way of knowing. OTOH, unless you retired out of the military, then, no sir, you don't have more time than me.

 

[SFC Ollie]

I've never liked the Chinook for dangerous inserts, it is big and loud. A blackhawk is better but it carries less people, so someone soldout stealth for a larger strike force onboard.

Yes it does seem that Seal Team 6 has been decimated in this attack. How did this happen? How did the Taliban know where to find these guys? This smells of an inside job for sure. Afghans had to be involved in revealing the location of this chopper.

Possible, but not necessarily. It could have just been bad luck. The Chinook is noisy. If someone with the right equipment, such as an SA-7 or -9 shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missile or modified RPG, happened to be close enough to it when it flew over, that's all it would take.

I have hated the Shithook ever since the night one nearly landed on top of my team and I.....................

 

[SFC Ollie]

And for those who have joined that spirit Army whose footfalls know no sound:

 

[Divine Wind]

So a so-called retiree like you is calling us in the military chickenhawks for actually wanting to do the dirty work you didn't do.

You spend your time trying to run over people in the Commissary parking lot, while we are fighting terrorists.

I won't further mar this thread replying to your boasts. This thread should be about the 31 brave lives lost in service to our nation. Not your internet tough guy distractions.

 

[DiAnna]

I was stunned to tears by this horrific news. What an immense loss, a tragedy to the entire country. My heart goes out to the families of these fallen heroes.

Every time one of our troops die, my heart cracks. This has damn near broken it.

Not one more, dammit! Not one more of our heroes should die in that corrupt, broken, tribal hell-hole of a country. Bring them home now!

 

[Divine Wind]

I was stunned to tears by this horrific news. What an immense loss, a tragedy to the entire country. My heart goes out to the families of these fallen heroes.

Every time one of our troops die, my heart cracks. This has damn near broken it.

Not one more, dammit! Not one more of our heroes should die in that corrupt, broken, tribal hell-hole of a country. Bring them home now!

While this indeed a horrific tragedy, I seriously doubt very many of our troops would want to come home from a job half finished. We must face the evils of the world at some point and the choices are to do it on their turf or ours. Many, such as myself, believe it should be on their turf for the greater good.

 

[hortysir]

My point is none of the 31 were drafted into the military, they all joined of their own accord. Most had probably re-upped and knew the dangers they were facing. Their service and memory deserves more then yours and others partisan blame games.

I really hope that this isn't some sort of backhanded way of implying that since they volunteered, and weren't drafted, that their death is somehow less tragic or more deserving

They chose to go, they were doing what they chose to do. Their deaths are part of war and military life. I spent 20 years in Naval Aviation and death is part of the job. Every squadron I was in, every boat I was on, someone died performing their job. It's not political it's just the nature of the beast.

It's just that there have been those, here in the past, that have thrown the kind of bullshit I mentioned.

Just double checking s'all.


Fair winds and following seas, shipmates

 

[Lokiate]

A tragic loss of some awesome troops. They will be missed.