31 US troops killed as Taliban down copter
KABUL: Insurgents shot down a US military helicopter during fighting in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least 30 Americans, most of them belonging to the same elite unit as the Navy SEALs who killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, US officials said Saturday. It was the deadliest single loss for American forces in the decade-old war against the Taliban.
The downing, in which seven Afghan commandos were also killed, was a stinging blow to the lauded, tight-knit SEAL Team 6 months after its crowning achievement. It was also a heavy setback for the US-led coalition as it begins to draw down thousands of combat troops fighting what has become an increasingly costly and unpopular war. None of the 22 SEAL personnel killed in the crash were part of the team that killed bin Laden in a May raid in Pakistan, but they belonged to the same unit.
Their deployment in the Friday night raid in which the helicopter crashed would suggest that the target was a high-ranking insurgent figure. Special operations forces, including the SEALs and others, have been at the forefront in the stepped up strategy of taking out key insurgent leaders in targeted raids, and they will be relied on even more as regular troops pull out. The strike is also likely to boost the morale of the Taliban in a key province that controls a strategic approach to the capital Kabul.
The Taliban claimed they downed the helicopter with a rocket while it was taking part in a raid. ap
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U.S. identifies nine troops killed in helicopter crash in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON,(SANA): The Defense Department has identified the nine American troops killed in the worst coalition helicopter crash in Afghanistan in four years.
The military announced Wednesday that four sailors were killed in the crash during combat operations a day earlier, along with five soldiers. Three of the sailors were Navy SEALs, while the fourth was assigned to the Naval Special Warfare unit. The five soldiers were from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, at Fort Campbell, Ky.
The Navy victims were identified as Lt. Brendan J. Looney, 29, of Owings, Md.; Senior Chief Petty Officer David B. McLendon, 30, of Thomasville, Ga.; Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam O. Smith, 26, of Hurland, Mo and Petty Officer 3rd Class Denis C. Miranda, 24, of Toms River, N.J.
McLendon was assigned to a Naval Special Warfare unit. Looney, Smith and Miranda were assigned to SEAL teams.
The soldiers killed were Maj. Robert F. Baldwin, 39, of Muscatine, Iowa; Chief Warrant Officer Matthew G.
Wagstaff, 34, of Orem, Utah; Chief Warrant Officer Jonah D. McClellan, 26, of St. Louis Park, Minn.; Staff Sgt. Joshua D. Powell, 25, of Pleasant Plains, Ill.; and Sgt. Marvin R. Calhoun Jr., 23, of Elkhart, Ind.
Baldwin was assigned to the brigade headquarters; Wagstaff, McClellan and Calhoun were assigned to the 5th Battalion; and Powell was assigned to the 6th Battalion.
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