Insurgents shot down a U.S. military helicopter during fighting in eastern Afghanistan, killing 30 Americans, most of them belonging to the same elite unit as the Navy SEALs who killed former Al. Still, SEAL Team Sixs bold raid to take down bin Laden was an extraordinary operation that most experts regard as a resounding success. He would eventually do two tours and become commander of a Chinook unit during his second deployment in 2011. The families of these deceased heroes have been stonewalled by the Obama Department of Defense and the Obama National Security Agency in disrespect over their sons unexplained tragic deaths. There were guys in a tower. But the CH-47D has neither a flight nor voice recorder, only an engine performance data recorder for maintenance. In fact, Chinooks are better protected from newer, more sophisticated threats than from older, more crude ones. I was terrified. Whether enemy fire brought down the Chinook or a tree strike would never be known for sure. Where was the Chinook's black box cockpit recorder? Following a helicopter crash, the SEAL Team must proceed with the mission as hostiles bear down on them and an injured and impaired Jason goes after their target alone. 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. Almost 10 years after 9/11, here's what led to the death of Osama bin Laden. The next night, the pair had orders to drop off more troops in the same spot. The aircraft jerked. Extortion 17's pilots and crew ranked among the very best military helicopter pilots in the world (Carter had amassed more than 4,000 hours of cockpit time), and the helicopter, a CH-47D, the fastest and one of the most powerful and nimble in the U.S. military, had been maintained to the highest standards. Two investigations of the incident proved inconclusive. The incident comes just months after DevGru's raid that killed Osama bin Laden. The tragedy took some of the glow off SEAL Team 6s grand achievement just three months earlier: A team penetrated Pakistan airspace, infiltrated a compound in Abbottabad and killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The team was responding to an Army Ranger unit that was engaged in a firefight with the Taliban and needed backup. Chinooks are American forces' preferred helicopters in Afghanistan because they are powerful enough fly over mountains while carrying a full complement of troops. But it's often foreign to those who observe combat from afar. 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. File: A US Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter in flight. Lees second deployment started in May of 2011. That assault team captured Tahirs compound and some of his men. One of the engines flew off, and the other caught fire. Over time, certain memories will fade, certain details will fade. 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. "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. Call Sign Extortion 17: The Shoot-Down of SEAL Team Six is a 2015 non-fiction expose, written by best-selling author and former U.S. Navy JAG Officer Don Brown, about the 2011 Chinook shootdown in Afghanistan of a United States Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter. The SEALS intentionally . During an attempted reinforcement effort during Operation Red Wings on June 28, 2005, high on the slopes of a mountain called Sawtalo Sar in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province, a lucky shot took down an Army Special Operations Chinook, call sign "Turbine 33." The U.S. military claimed that the Chinook was blown to pieces by a shoulder-fired missile, in which everyone on board was burned beyond recognition. The more likely explanation seems to be that the president, like a lot of us, tweets without thinking, especially if the subject matter is something that praises him or denigrates his political opponents. As they made their approach, there was a line of thunderstorms nearby. But this might just take the cake. SEAL Team Six was assigned three pre-invasion missions: two clandestine political missions relating to regime change on the island, and reconnaissance from the sea of the new airfield under construction on the island's southwest coast. But at least you should care about them and appreciate what were asking of them.. The mission continues, uninterrupted.3:39 p.m. Osama bin Laden is located on the third floor of the compound and is shot in the head, above the left eye.Sometime during the operation, three other men (including one of bin Ladens sons) and a woman in the compound are also killed.3:53 p.m. President Obama receives preliminary word that bin Laden is identified and dead.3:55 p.m. SEAL team members move bin Ladens body to the first floor of the compound and place it in a body bag.3:39 p.m.-4:10 p.m. The team locates and retrieves multiple items from the compound for intelligence investigation.4:05 p.m. The first helicopter exits the compound.4:08 p.m. The team destroys the chopper that crashed.4:10 p.m. A backup helicopter scoops up remaining team members and leaves the area.5:53 p.m. The choppers with SEAL team members return to Afghanistan.7:01 p.m. President Obama receives further intelligence information that the body killed in the raid is likely that of bin Laden.11:35 p.m. President Obama addresses the nation about the raid.12:59 a.m. Osama bin Ladens body is buried at sea within 24 hours to comply with Islamic law. Military officers interviewed by investigators said they could not recall an IRF ever being sent for such a mission. They loaded onto Extortion 17, and then Carter and Nichols lifted the Chinook into the night sky. Its planners and pilots must use whatever intelligence is available (which is usually pretty thin information, and comes from earlier attacks) to plan the flight route. 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. As they started their descent, Lee heard a loud popping noise. For many families of 9/11 victims, bin Ladens death symbolized justice and retribution. They then repeated and emphasized a few related questions: How could this happen? 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. 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. Lee heard the call, and he knew what it meant. Photo: AP, Thousands of passengers are stranded after Colombias Viva Air grounds flights, The last of Mexicos artisanal salt-makers preserve a 2,000-year-old tradition, I cannot give up: Cambodian rapper says he will sing about injustice despite threats from govt, Ukrainian rock star reflects on a year of war in his country, Ukrainian refugees in Poland will now be charged to stay in state-funded housing, This Colombian town is dimming its lights to attract more tourists to view the night sky, Kneel and apologize!: 76 years after island-wide massacre, Taiwan continues to commemorate and debate the tragedy. All rights reserved. A silhouette of a flight engineer manning an M240 machine gun on the ramp of a CH-47D Chinook in eastern Afghanistan. However, a shoot down does not necessarily mean insurgents have changed their tactics or hardware. It was the largest single loss of life for Seal Team 6, also known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, (DEVGRU) in the unit's history. I would say that was the first time that we really had eyes on the LZ.. .css-v1xtj3{display:block;font-family:FreightSansW01,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:100;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-v1xtj3:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.1387rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-v1xtj3{line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.18581rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.5rem;margin-top:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.2;margin-top:0.9375rem;}}Russian Cargo Plane Explodes During Pressure Test, Air Force's IRON Wireless Network Protects Nukes, Watch Opposition Group Land Drone on Russian Jet, Pentagon's Mysterious Aircraft Won't Need a Runway, The Secret War to Take out Iran's F-14 Fighters, Meet the E-7 Wedgetail, the Air Forces New Plane, Report: Pilot Error Ruined a $112 Million F-35 Jet, Air Force Grounds Jets: Their Tails May Fall Off, The Messy Battle to Build the F-35's Next Engine, Russia Dredges Up Ancient BTR-50 Vehicles. The Justice Department said at least 50 documents in the Pentagon have been identified as relevant, but only one has been turned over. ", "The hearts and minds of our enemy are more valuable to our government than my son's blood," she said. An Afghan official, speaking anonymously a few days after the attack, speculated that the Taliban had laid a trap, that they had purposely put out false information about a meeting involving the Taliban commander. At the pilots request, the AC-130 flashed an infrared spotlight, which could be seen only through night vision goggles, to light up the landing zone. The Associated Press contributed to this report. "The downing of Extortion 17 was a catastrophic and unprecedented tragedy for our nation," Reid testified. Here are the . In 2006, he was called into Afghanistan, where he turned 25. "Chance will always play a role in war," stated Justin "Buddy" Lee, the commander of Extortion Company, who had flown with Dave Carter the night before Extortion 17's demise on a similar raid, and who had co-piloted a number of missions with Bryan Nichols. Somebody was leaking to the Taliban, said Mr. For Lee, there was no time to reflect on how close he had come to dying. Things like Benghazi and the NSA. 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 . As more responsibilities fall on the shoulders of special forces, the risk of more losses like this one will continue to increase. No family members were allowed to testify. Chance, however, a component of war intimately understood by war fighters, can never be completely mitigated. 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. Our families are in danger,' " Vaughn recalled. "So much of the war is fought in areas where these helicopters have to fly at high altitudes," where the thin air can strain the performance of the engines and rotor blades, said Ed Darack, author of the recently published book, The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicopter Support, SEAL Team Six and the Deadliest Day of the U.S. War in Afghanistan. Oops, this content can't be loadedbecause you're having connectivity problems, Stay always informed and up to date with our breaking news alerts, - The Washington Times - Wednesday, August 5, 2015. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. . The Obama administration is violating a judges order to turn over documents in the Aug. 6, 2011, shootdown of a U.S. helicopter call sign Extortion 17 that killed members of SEAL Team 6 in Afghanistan, a watchdog group is charging. One of the things I vowed, I will never forget. One of the best crews in my company. The team boarded Extortion 17 with Dave Carter and Bryan Nichols at the controls. The US Navy's elite SEAL Team 6 reportedly recovered two bodies and a flight recorder from the site where a US Air Force E-11A aircraft crashed in Afghanistan on Monday. After the crash, the forces that were involved in the firefight "broke contact" with the enemy so they could go provide perimeter security for the crash site, the official said. This is all, needless to say, completely unsubstantiated if not outright false. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. One helicopter crashes, but there are no injuries. "We have an ideology problem with this war, and we need to address it. 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. Strange also blamed top military brass for sending the troops into a situation they were allegedly ill-equipped and unprepared to handle. Theyre going after [enemy fighters] in very hostile environments, who know the terrain very well, who know the battlescape very well, Darack said. Virginia-based Navy SEALs in a training exercise. Finally Sells Japan Tomahawk Missiles. The hardest LZ Id ever been into, Lee said. The shootdown was the single, deadliest loss of U.S. forces in the war. And Justice unilaterally set a new deadline for the release and then ignored it, Mr. Klayman said. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Military officials told her operating outside of these rules "damages our efforts to win the hearts and minds of our enemies. DevGru is an emblem of U.S. military power, known worldwide. The military's public contradictions raise more questions than answers.On 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. The Rangers were not in need of rescue. As he did, he felt the craft leveling off. Legal Statement. Although the Taliban have claimed to have shot the helicopter down, U.S. officials have only identified the attackers as insurgents. At this difficult hour, all Americans are united in support of our men and women in uniform who serve so that we can live in freedom and security.". The tempo of the missions did not decrease. Planners had created an absolutely sound mission. JSOC ground forces and those who flew them knew and trusted each other. He was probably in the top 1 percent of Army aviators, Lee said. Seven Afghan commandos were also reportedly killed. After the helicopter crash on August 6, 2011. It has now been four years since Extortion 17 was shot down, said Doug Hamburger, whose Army air crew son, Patrick, was one of the 30 Americans killed. In addition to the 30 Americans, the official said there were seven Afghan army soldiers and an interpreter on the helicopter. On board were 22 Navy SEALs, rushing to support troops in firefight. Asked for comment, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. James Gregory said: "We share in the grief of all of the families who lost their loved ones. Around 2007, U.S. intelligence officials discovered the name of one of bin Ladens closest couriers, whom they speculated may have been involved in supporting or harboring the terrorist. An initial investigation indicates the helicopter was shot down by insurgents in the volatile Tangi valley of Wardak province, several hours south of Kabul. Charles Strange, whose son Michael, 25, died in the attack said Obama personally promised him a thorough investigation of what happened but has failed to deliver. 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. (AP). The crash took the lives of 17 SEALs and five special warfare development group operators, making it the worst one-day loss in the history of U.S. naval special operations. Legal Statement. But why? The immediate reaction force (IRF) was assembled hastily for insertion into Tangi Valley to help Army Rangers capture fleeing Taliban. If this [operation] was survivable, that was the right crew to have. It's true that members of SEAL Team 6 died tragically in a helicopter crash not long after the Bin Laden mission, but the particular soldiers who perished weren't part of that operation, says O'Neill. 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. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst. Their target was a Taliban commander responsible for ambushes and other attacks against U.S. and Afghan forces. "We've allowed politics to become more important than the lives and safety of those men and women," he says. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. It's certainly possible. The Chinook smashed into the ground, the force ripping off his goggles. The Benghazi attack in 2012 plays a part in some other versions of the tale. The Chinook helicopter was carrying a quick-reaction force to provide back-up to the troops on the ground in the eastern Afghan province of Wardak, a U.S. official said. One of the other things that we did talk about kind of what youre hitting on, sir, is about the fact that, you know, for three hours we had been burning holes in the sky, the officer told investigators. This critical, but completely uncontrollable, aspect of war, is well-known among fighters like Buddy. President Obama offered his thoughts and prayers to those killed in the crash. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., he remains obsessively curious about Texans and the Lone Star State culture. The next day, a DNA test confirmed that the body was indeed that of Osama bin Laden. Some of the most highly trained and skilled war fighters in history, the Rangers moved overland to a location where intelligence indicated Lefty Grove and his small cadre of fighters would be holding a meeting. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. By The Newsroom 6th Aug 2011, 6:30pm The "had Seal team 6 killed" is a likely reference to what's known as the "Extortion 17" incident, the August 2011 tragedy in which a Chinook military helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan,. More than 20 Navy Seals died in the helicopter crash that killed 31 in Afghanistan yesterday. 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. But some say the official report, which contained no direct criticism of decision-makers that day, did not delve deeply enough. See production, box office & company info, Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words. Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond. Aug. 6, 2011 -- A helicopter was shot down today by Afghan insurgents as it was rushing to aid troops in a firefight, killing 30 Americans, including 22 Navy SEALs, most of whom belonged to Team 6, the unit whose members were involved in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, U.S. officials said. Many military experts at the time, including some of Obamas top military advisers, had questioned the White Houses public praise of SEAL Team 6 and said it put members in danger. Is Russias Only Aircraft Carrier Cursed? Trump, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, announced a slate of futuristic new policies in a campaign video Friday. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. It's a scary thought. The Chinook had no Apache escort, as did the Ranger team that enjoyed the element of surprise when it touched down hours earlier. In fact, the conflict was heating up. Up to 30 Dead in Afghanistan Following Failed Prison Heist, Total Iraq and Afghanistan Pricetag: Over $4 Trillion. The military's public c On 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. Ohio Republican Secretary of State 'actively' considering Senate run against Sherrod Brown, DeSantis family spends the afternoon at Houston Rodeo ahead of governor's speech, Marianne Williamson launches campaign against Biden, vows to fight 'forces of hatred, injustice and fear', Haley blasts both Democrats and fellow Republicans, including Trump, over exploding national debt. After Vice President Joe Biden revealed that SEAL Team 6 carried out the operation that killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011, Strange said the members of his son's team gave startling indications to their families they were about to meet their demise. "Sometimes the enemy just gets that terribly lucky shot. Lees wife, Christy, hoped the news would bring a sudden end to the war. A Defense Department special operations official told a House subcommittee last year that there is no indication the mission was compromised by the Afghans. The assassination of Osama bin Laden was a significant victory for the U.S. government and the American people at large. His father Billy Vaughn recounted Thursday a phone call from his son following the White House decision to credit the highly secretive military unit for the bin Laden raid. Despite the risk, operations like these were taking place with such frequency in Afghanistan they only made news when they produced a spectacular success, like the bin Laden mission. 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. The military's public contradictions raise more questions than answers. 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. On a moonless night, an Army Chinook helicopter swept low over the Tangi Valley, a strip of forbidding terrain in eastern Afghanistan teeming with Taliban and located just 35 miles south of the capital, Kabul. Mr. Klayman said the NSA has agreed to provide some information. All Rights Reserved. On such missions, the Chinook pilots nearly always fly at night, wearing night vision goggles, or NVGs. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Stephen M. Mills, 35, of Fort Worth, was one of the U.S. Navy SEALS killed in the helicopter crash. 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. Image:U.S. PresidentDonaldTrumpholds a campaign rally at John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, U.S. October 13, 2020.
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