The loss of a Chinook helicopter carrying members of Navy SEAL Team Six made yesterday the deadliest single day in the entire Afghan War for the U.S., The New York Times reports. Among the 38 occupants inside the Chinook were some of the most highly trained and battle-seasoned fighters in the U.S. military, including 15 commandos from the Navys SEAL Team 6,the unit that three months earlier had killed Osama bin Laden. As they started their descent, Lee heard a loud popping noise. Aug. 7, 2011 -- American communities are mourning the loss of 30 U.S. troops who were killed when Afghan insurgents shot down a helicopter carrying the most elite forces in the US military -- Navy . Flying 250 feet above the valley floor at just under 70 miles per hour, Dave Carter, the pilot to the right of Nichols, guided the helicopter toward a carefully chosen landing zone just over a mile away. The last worst one-day U.S. casuality record in Afghanistan was on June 28, 2005 when 16 U.S. soldiers were killed in Kunar province after a helicopter was shot down by Taliban insurgents. 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. International reactions to bin Ladens death ranged from favorable to mixed. Here are the . Afghan President Karzai's office released a statement on the incident. U.S. Central Commands official investigation concluded that a rocket-launched grenade from a Taliban fighter standing near the landing zone clipped a rotary wing, sending the Ch-47 Chinook into a violent downward spin. The Taliban silenced him. Retired Army Lt. Gen. William Boykin, who served as deputy undersecretary of defense for Intelligence and was a commander in the Army's super-secret "Delta Force," denounced politicized rules of engagement as a "deliberate plot" within the American armed forces that he says puts political correctness above the safety of the troops. PRX is a 501(c)(3) organization recognized by the IRS: #263347402. Nearby, there were two enemy fighters with rocket-propelled grenade launchers. The operators from SEAL Team Six were flown by a crew of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the same regiment that flew the bin Laden raid. September-11-pentagon-attack-survivors-evacuation. Nothing tests the capabilities of a young helicopter pilot like flying in the extreme conditions of Afghanistan. There was a lot of experience in that cockpit, the flight engineers and the door gunners. Additional forces were then sent to secure the crash site. One source says the team was thought to include 22 SEALs, three Air Force air controllers, seven Afghan Army troops, a dog and handler, and a civilian interpreter, plus the helicopter crew. A number of the DEVGRU SEALs were devastated by this loss . In fact, the conflict was heating up. The helicopter crashed into a creek bed and a flash flood shortly afterward washed away some parts of the wreckage. It requires the highest level of skills from the pilots because they are some of the most dangerous operations.. I am afraid that with this FOIA case that the government is purposely delaying turning over documents because they need the time to redact and to delete things they do not want the American public to become aware of.. because seals have a habit of writing books once they retire. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Aaron Vaughn's mother, Karen, also demanded an explanation for why her son and his team were not using a special operations aircraft, such as the Chinooks flown by special operations pilots, which have specialized defenses designed to fly commandos deep behind enemy lines. Several Afghans were on board and were killed, but trust is in short supply in Afghanistan. On May 2, 2011, U.S. Special Forces raided an al-Qaeda compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and killed the worlds most wanted terrorist: Osama bin Laden. Originally published August 6, 2011 at 10:50 am Updated August 6, 2011 at 3:16 pm. A Defense Department special operations official told a House subcommittee last year that there is no indication the mission was compromised by the Afghans. Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. The actual mission, dubbed Operation Neptune Spear, officially started in the early-morning hours of May 2, Pakistan time (afternoon of May 1, Eastern Daylight Time). It was the worst day for fatalities in the history of naval special warfare. Its like taking a paper towel roll, cutting it in half and strapping it to your eye, Lee said. ", Ed Darack's The Final Mission of Extortion 17, published by Smithsonian Books, will be available on September 19. The Graveyard of Empires: Directed by David Boreanaz. The hearing as it took place was meant to honor the heroes of Extortion 17 instead of to answer our questions, Mr. Click here for reprint permission. Misinformation regarding the skills of the pilots and crew, and nonsensical conspiracy theoriesoften politically motivatedfollowed, much of which unfortunately continues to this day. During the last several years it is evident that our government has spent a lot of time and resources covering up the truth on many things from both our allies and the American public, Mr. The ensuing crash killed all 16 on board, eight Army special operations aviators, and eight Navy SEALs. He spoke out against banning girls education. It's certainly possible. Around 2:40 a.m., an Apache pilot flying in support came on the radio and shouted: Fallen Angel. "The downing of Extortion 17 was a catastrophic and unprecedented tragedy for our nation," Reid testified. "A NATO helicopter crashed last night in Wardak province," Karzai said in the statement. I thought I hit a tree,he said. They have to slow down to land or allow troops to rappel to the ground. An official report was released in October 2011 but family members say it did little to fill in the details and left more questions than answers. The next day, a DNA test confirmed that the body was indeed that of Osama bin Laden. President Trump has been known, over the years, to tweet some bizarre things. The conspiracy theories didnt bother Lee at first. SEAL TEAM SIX - Extortion 17 EXPOSED theunitedwest 15.8K subscribers Subscribe 4.7K 394K views Streamed 9 years ago AUGUST 6, 2015 - Today, on the fourth anniversary of the shoot down of. Market data provided by Factset. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. "Their deaths are a reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by the men and women of our military and their families, including all who have served in Afghanistan," Obama said in a statement. Somebody tipped them off. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Add in the fact that more sophisticated foreign intelligence agents are on the ground, with signals intelligence assets and deep pockets, and you have a recipe for a plot. Aerial view of Osama bin Laden's compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, made by the CIA. Its crazy how many times I can think of where me or the guys I was with had to do that.. The parents of three SEALs. In addition to the 30 Americans, the official said there were seven Afghan army soldiers and an interpreter on the helicopter. Not all will end as well as bin Laden's takedown, as PM noted in July. A typical combat mission in Afghanistan leaves little margin for error, requiring Chinook pilots to land on tiny, makeshift sites on mountain slopes where any tree, bush or rock could be hiding an enemy fighter with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. The entire operation, which lasted only 40 minutes from start to finish, was the culmination of years of calculated planning and training. What in the world was that Navy Seals conspiracy that Trump retweeted? Lee remained in Afghanistan flying combat missions for another eight months before returning home in the spring of 2012. See production, box office & company info, Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words. In all 38 troops died after the helicopter was shot down by what a review determined to be a Taliban RPG over Wardak Province, Afghanistan, on Aug. 6, 2011. Led by firebrand Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), Congress is to launch an official investigation into the mysterious helicopter crash that killed several members of the Navy SEAL team 6 in Afghanistan in 2011. One helicopter crashes, but there are no injuries. Special Forces are expected to keep the pressure on the Taliban, working closely with Afghan forces to maintain control as U.S and Coalition troops depart. Guys on the bush line. These helicopters have been well protected from long-range missile attacks for years, but still have few defenses against a simple RPG fired at short range while the Chinook hovers in place. They happened to be in the right place at the right time. An official investigation found no evidence of a pre-planned ambush, though it did suggest that other helicopter activity in the area could have tipped off Taliban fighters that more helicopters could be approaching, according to the report. And thats fine; thats what you signed up for, Lee said. The military's public c Read allOn a moonless night, an Army helicopter carrying 17 members of the elite Navy SEAL Team 6, the unit that killed Osama Bin Laden, is shot down in Afghanistan. She had just given birth to their first child. He probably doesnt. My life is in danger. The helicopter was shot down by insurgents. Legal Statement. Telling stories about ordinary people involved in extraordinary events is his passion. Missions like this one to insert or remove an assault force are the military equivalent of a perfect 10 in the Olympics -- equal parts skill, experience and daring. Extortion 17 then plummeted to the ground and erupted in a massive fireball. He was probably in the top 1 percent of Army aviators, Lee said. This time, they might simply have run out of luck and encountered an RPG-armed enemy who was in the right place at the right time. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Landing in deserts or mountainsides, the helicopter rotors kick up clouds of sand and dust, causing brownouts that can blind a pilot. Rowan Scarborough can be reached at rscarborough@washingtontimes.com. Hes also sent more than his fair share of curious retweets, often of the accounts of conspiracy theorists and those associated with QAnon and other outlandish conspiracy frameworks. ", While not commenting directly on the allegations, he called those who were lost "warriors" who represented "the diversity and talent of America and its military.". The crash sent shock waves throughout U.S. special operations. For Lee, there was no time to reflect on how close he had come to dying. Saturday's deaths bring the total number of coalition troops killed in Afghanistan to 334 this year, according to the Associated Press. The families accept the fact that a single shot brought down the helicopter. At that time, this marked deadliest moment in the war in Afghanistan. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. As is routine on such missions, two Apache attack helicopters provided extra cover and security for Extortion 17, while circling above was an AC-130 aircraft, a gunship that also provides surveillance. The had Seal team 6 killed is a likely reference to whats known as the Extortion 17 incident, the August 2011 tragedy in which a Chinookmilitary helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan, killing 38 people, 25 of them Navy Seals, in the deadliest day for the U.S. in the entire Afghanistan war. This critical, but completely uncontrollable, aspect of war, is well-known among fighters like Buddy. RETWEET!, The president went on to follow that last command, although the Oscar the Midnight Rider account has since been suspended by Twitter. They heard a helicopter coming, they grabbed their RPGs, and they fired in quick succession, Darack said. However, the AP has reported, the Afghan forces never staffed the outpost after American forces left, and the Taliban moved back in. It marked the greatest single incident loss of American life in the war in Afghanistan, the deadliest moment in the history of SEAL Team Six and the entirety of the Navy SEALs, and the deadliest single incident in the history of U.S. Special Operations Command. But why? She also said the team was hindered by rules of engagement that prohibited their firing on potential targets unless they could see a weapon. The second probe, led by Army Brigadier General Jeffrey Colt, explained in excruciating detail what all those familiar with military operations and helicopter aviation in Afghanistan already knew: chance and chance alone, took down Extortion 17. All Rights Reserved. The crash killed 38 people, including 15 Navy SEALs. 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But Chinooks are at their most vulnerable while hovering in place during raids like the one this team is thought to have been conducting. A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, confirmed that insurgents had been gathering at the compound, adding that eight of them had been killed in the fighting. One by one, fathers and mothers of the victims of the crash spoke about what they see as gaping holes or inconsistencies in the review of what U.S. Special Operations considers its most deadly incident. The attack on August 6 was the most devastating day in SEAL Team Six history, as well as the single largest loss of life for U.S. forces since the war in Afghanistan began in October. The force included seven Afghan soldiers and an Afghan interpreter. At 2:38 a.m. on August 6, 2011, a U.S. Army Chinook helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, entered the western opening of Afghanistan's restive Tangi Valley, flying alone. The former vice president has become the Democratic front-runner with primary victories across the country. Trump, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, announced a slate of futuristic new policies in a campaign video Friday. Were very concerned that the administration had disclosed that the Navy SEALs had carried out a successful attack on bin Ladens compound resulting in his death. It's unclear how far away the helicopter was from the initial firefight when it went down and unclear how the troops in the firefight got to the crash location, the official said. Up to 30 Dead in Afghanistan Following Failed Prison Heist, Total Iraq and Afghanistan Pricetag: Over $4 Trillion. File: A US Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter in flight. The extreme G-forces killed everyone on board within a fraction of a second, Darack said. And Justice unilaterally set a new deadline for the release and then ignored it, Mr. Klayman said. Still, the one the president retweeted earlier this week may have been the weirdest yet. Over time, certain memories will fade, certain details will fade. JSOC and aviation commanders, prepared for virtually any outcome, quickly formulated a plan: they would send a team on one helicopter to bolster the Ranger-led force. The terrorist leader was not only a major player within al-Qaeda but also a figurehead that attracted supporters and recruits from around the world. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. Where was the Chinook's black box cockpit recorder? Finally Sells Japan Tomahawk Missiles. The front rotor shattered, and the back pylon sheared off. Some news stories reported that investigators couldnt find the helicopters black box, referring to the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. The route had been carefully planned, and gunships maintained continuous watch over the intended landing zone during Extortion 17's approach. A silhouette of a. The pilots, crew and Chinook helicopters of "Extortion Company," the conventional Army aviation unit to which Extortion 17 belonged, had supported over 90 percent of raids conducted by Rangers and SEALs of JSOC in that region; the flight in question was nothing out of the ordinary. Theyre going after [enemy fighters] in very hostile environments, who know the terrain very well, who know the battlescape very well, Darack said. Three months after bin Ladens death, members of the SEAL Team 6 force -- though apparently not the same ones who carried out the bin Laden raid -- were on board the CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter, along with its Army National Guard aircrew, several support personnel and seven Afghan commandos. The families hope to raise awareness of the incident, which they say the government has largely forgotten since the official report was released in October 2011. Military officers interviewed by investigators said they could not recall an IRF ever being sent for such a mission. He pushed hard on the cyclic stick to tilt the helicopter forward. The night before he left to go to Fort Hood, where he would board a plane to Afghanistan, the biggest event of the 10-year war occurred: Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan during a raid by Navy SEALs. Does Donald Trump believe that Joe Biden played a part in murdering those Navy Seals? For now, let's assume the Chinook was shot down, and by a rocket. Back in May, the families of the SEALs went public with concerns that the Obama administration was at least partially responsible for the deaths [] But why? Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver. The helicopter plunged tail first. For many families of 9/11 victims, bin Ladens death symbolized justice and retribution. Onboard were 17 members of SEAL Team 6; five naval special warfare operators, including one to intercept communications and another to handle Bart the war dog; five Army flight crewmen, including a National Guard and an Army Reserve pilot; and three Air Force personnel. Osama bin Ladens personal journal was also recovered. 4:05 p.m. - The first helicopter exits the compound. The quick reaction force included SEAL Team 6 and other special operations personnel. Ninty-six days after the death of Osama bin Laden by SEAL Team Six, an old Vietnam era Army Reserve helicopter, call sign "Extortion 17," was shot down in the Wardak Province, Tangi River Valley, Afghanistan on Aug 6, 2011.On board the Chinook CH-47D were 15 members of SEAL Team Six, 15 SEAL Team Six Support personnel, 1 Bomb Dog, 7 unidentified members of the Afghan National Army, and 1 .

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