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Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead

By Jeralyn, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Wed Jun 29, 2005 at 05:00:12 PM EST
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Bump and Update: 6:00 pm: All 17 soldiers on board the helicopter downed in Afghanistan are believed dead. May they rest in peace. It's time for an exit stratgegy. Or at least a workable one. Go here and sign Sen. Ted Kennedy's petition.

Our soldiers in Iraq need more than vague assurances of progress from the President. They need an effective plan to end the violence, bring peace and stability to Iraq, and return home with dignity and honor. Unfortunately, the Administration’s view of the war is ignoring reality. Our soldiers need more than a public relations campaign from the Administration to win this war. They need honesty and leadership.

Bump and Update: 20 hours later and still no word on the fate of those aboard? Why?

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Orignal Post: 6/28 2:30 pm

The Pentagon says there were between 15 and 20 U.S. troops on the helicopter that went down in Afganistan today. Still no word on whether any survived. But if this is correct, it doesn't look promising:

But an Afghan official said that a rocket was fired at the helicopter. "A rocket was fired at an American helicopter in the district," said the official in Kunar province, who requested anonymity.

Update: 6 hours later and still no word on the fate of those aboard. Is it because they want to notify family members of the deaths first?

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    • Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead | 19 comments (19 topical)
    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#1)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    More death, more sorrow, and in the service of what real long-term plan for the Afghanis? Peace and love to all the families of the deceased.

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#2)
    by Mreddieb on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    The forgotten war. The real war on terrorism. I am so sorry and angry. This is one war we should have won out right! Just imagine what we could have done with over 100000 American fighting men and 200 Billion spent for fighting the real war on terror. There would be no Osama thats for sure and the rest is only wishful thinking!

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#3)
    by desertswine on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    This is the war we should have won before the great diversion to George's War.

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#4)
    by Sailor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    Anyone want to take bets on whether it was a stinger given to the taliban when 'they were on our side?'

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#5)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:39 PM EST
    Anyone want to take bets on whether it was a stinger given to the taliban when 'they were on our side?'
    You mean when they were freedom fighters?

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#6)
    by Sailor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    freedom fighters, terrorists, insurgents, outside agitators ... but, but ... we have always been at war with freedonia!

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#7)
    by Quaker in a Basement on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:41 PM EST
    KABUL (Reuters) - All 17 U.S. troops aboard an American helicopter that crashed after being hit by ground fire in an anti-militant operation in Afghanistan are believed to have died, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.
    Story here.

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#8)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:42 PM EST
    We can only guess if these deaths could have been avoided if we finished the job in Afghanistan, before diverting a ton of forces to personal neo-con Iraq crusade.

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#9)
    by Quaker in a Basement on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:42 PM EST
    OK, nobody's saying it, so I'll throw the idea out there: Maybe there's no word on the fate of the crew because the White House doesn't want to have a headline saying "Seventeen Killed in Afghanistan" right next to "Bush Says 'Stay the Course' in Iraq." Yeah, I know. I'm probably waaaay off base to think this administration would politicize the release of bad news.

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#10)
    by Wile ECoyote on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:42 PM EST
    Or it could be in an inaccessible area due to weather and terrain.

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#11)
    by Sailor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:42 PM EST
    No signs of cloud cover, no report of high winds, no precip in the last 24 hrs. The chopper crashed 5 miles from the provincial capital Asadabad. Kind of hard to understand why they haven't released more info by now.

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#13)
    by Sailor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:42 PM EST
    Actually DA, it raises more questions. The sat photos and wx info didn't indicate any bad weather, high winds or precip anywhere near the crash site. Also, it was approaching an LZ and crashed only 5 miles from Asadabad, a city of 44k which is located on a river. Even if they crashed at 10k ft, they were there and other choppers could have reached them. (It's really, really hard to crash upwards.) Also, they were deployed, by media accounts, to support a team already in a firefight. Who sends a sh*thook (chinook) into a firefight? Even in nam they only sent those into (relatively) secure LZs. I would love to see the radio traffic between the WH and afghanistan re this crash.

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:44 PM EST
    TL: "20 hours later and still no word on the fate of those aboard? Why?" It's not Friday yet.

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#15)
    by roy on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:44 PM EST
    16 confirmed dead; the 17th never boarded. Shot down by an RPG. The Taliban has claimed responsibility.

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#16)
    by Sailor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:45 PM EST
    Roy, thanks for the post and link. Knowing that the link was to a Microsoft and General Electric owned site I did a bit more digging. I would like to call your attention to the fact the the US originally said they couldn't reach the site due to wx. Since the sat wx I pulled up after the first announcement of bad wx showed no cloud cover precip or storm systems in the area I doubted the veracity of the reason why it took so long to reach the crash site. (No, I can't link to wx data over 48 hours old, maybe someone else can.) As it turns out, it took that long to reach the crash site, which BTW was 5 miles from a major city in Afghanistan, because they were in constant firefights with taliban forces. They were also sent to support a unit already under attack. Most of that unit is dead or missing. The taliban has claimed the kill. Can someone, anyone, tell me what "Mission Accomplished" means to bushco?

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#17)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:45 PM EST
    Mission Accomplished specifically and obviously meant that the USPNAC had succeeded in creating the conditions for the building of the airbases that were the primary reason for invading. Yippee! for profitable treason, in other words. Oh...maybe your question was rhetorical....

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:45 PM EST
    Sailor
    Who sends a sh*thook (chinook) into a firefight? Even in nam they only sent those into (relatively) secure LZs.
    Sounded pretty dumb to me also. But compared to deploying from a Banana a 'Hook was like a tank .

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:46 PM EST
    The general said it was the first time this happened, though it isn't. When do the generals stop lying? It's like a joke, except it isn't.

    Re: Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:50 PM EST
    Breaking News From Afghanistan: Two US Navy SEALS found dead...

    Downed Helicopter: All 17 Feared Dead | 19 comments (19 topical)