Sad news out of Afghanistan today as 22 Navy Seals and up to 31 US Special Forces troops were killed when their military helicopter was shot down. The Navy Seals on board were from Seal Team 6, though none of the men involved in the killing of Osama Bin Laden were on the downed helicopter.
All told, the helicopter was believed to be carrying 22 Navy Seals, three Air Force personnel, 7 Afghan soldiers, a dog handler, a civilian interpreter, and the helicopter crew.
Globe and Mail reports:
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…
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.
Tragic.
Sat, Aug 6, 2011
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