NATO Helicopter Crash - 38 Dead

[Nehkara]

31 US troops, including 22 Navy SEALS, and 7 Afghan soldiers were killed today when a Chinook transport helicopter crashed, apparently shot down by the Taliban, in Afghanistan.

Rest In Peace. Sincere condolences to family and loved ones of all 38 soldiers.

Chinook Transport Helicopter



NATO Copter Crash Kills 38 In Afghanistan

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- The U.S. military was reeling Saturday after a helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan killed 31 Americans, including 22 Navy SEALs, a U.S. military official told CNN Saturday.

It was the single deadliest incident since the start of the decade-long Afghan war, an Army Chinook carrying a team of U.S. special forces and U.S. and Afghan soldiers that went down in Wardak province. Insurgents are believed to have shot down the helicopter, the military official said.

The Navy SEALs who died belonged to the same unit that conducted the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May, though they were not the same men, the official said.

"It's a big loss" for the SEALs, one of the officials said. "The numbers are high."

Afghan President Hamid Karzai issued a statement saying as many as 31 U.S. special forces and seven Afghans were killed.

[Azure]

Rumor has it members of SEAL Team Six were on the helicopter.

RIP.

[CaptainCrunch]

I've never liked the Chinook as an assault platform, its slow, loud and ungainly, it doesn't have the advanced anti aircraft defenses that other Assault helicopters have.

If its true that they had members of Seal Team 6 on board, its a huge loss, and punches a hole in the naval special warfare department.

[Frequitude]

Sounds like it was the guys who killed Osama?

[metallicat]

Same team maybe, I don't know if it was necessarily the exact same guys, no? I don't know, you guys mentioning this is the first I heard of who it may have been.

If it was, they performed the ultimate duty for their country in taking out the worlds most wanted man, and then perished in a helicopter crash. So sad.

[puckluck]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

Sounds like it was the guys who killed Osama?

If true, the conspiracy theorists are going to have a field day with this news.

RIP.

[Nehkara]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

Sounds like it was the guys who killed Osama?

The CNN article says that 22 of the 31 were Navy SEALS and belonged to the same unit that killed Osama Bin Laden but are NOT the same men.

I updated my first post to the CNN article as it is more detailed.

[flamesfan6]

apparently they were the same unit as the Osama raid, but not the same people involved with it.

[afc wimbledon]

You know the Taliban are going to claim it was the same guys no matter who was in the chopper.

[Daradon]

Yikes, that's a pretty substantial blow. Thoughts out to the families.