Rescuers Reach U.S. Helicopter Wreckage

[DoYouEverWonder]

June 30, 2005

KABUL, Afghanistan - Rescuers have reached the wreckage of a U.S. special forces helicopter that crashed into a rugged mountain ravine in eastern
Afghanistan, but there was no immediate word on the fate of the 17 troops on board, a U.S. military spokesman said Thursday.

"We are at the wreckage as we speak," U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara told The Associated Press. "We are conducting search and recovery operations. But we are more into the recovery stage."

He declined to elaborate on efforts to find survivors or the bodies of the 17, who were thought to have perished in Tuesday's crash.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050630/ap_on_re_as/afghan_us_helicopter_crash;_ylt=A9FJqZ.PwMNC9PAAPB2s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-

[Robbien]

1. I hope they "elaborate" soon

there are so many family members anxiously waiting for any word.

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. BBC Reporting - 13 bodies found

more soon?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/default.stm

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. US Chinook crash - bodies found

30 June, 2005

US military officials in Afghanistan say 13 bodies have been recovered from the site where one of their Chinook helicopters crashed on Tuesday.

Another seven soldiers are unaccounted for, some of them soldiers who were fighting on the ground.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4636461.stm

So it seems we lost everyone on the helicopter, plus another 3 or 4 on the ground? Yikes!

[leftchick]

5. there was a commando unit on the ground

that called for help. I have no idea how many, but CBS news speculated on 7 in the unit. What a clusterfuck. :(

link to CBS news coverage last night...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/29/terror/main704968_page2.shtml

[daleo]

7. I wonder if it was an ambush?

Or if the Afghan (resistance/Taleban/anti-U.S./etc) forces just got in a lucky shot? If the former, maybe this was a technique used against the Soviets.

[leftchick]

8. Dan Martin on CBS News gave quite a good report last night

I don't think luck has anything to do with it. Apparently when they do catch some of these fighters they have been very well equipped with the same stuff. The pentagon suspects they are now being well funded to fight the coalition forces. gee, I wonder where the money and equipment is coming from?

[daleo]

12. I can think of at least one country with a grudge over Afghanistan

As I recall, neo-cons (including St. Reagan TGA) bragged about helping to kill evil Soviets in the 1980's. But to Russians, they were just conscript soldiers, brothers, sons, fathers, that sort of thing. There could well be a bit of payback going on.

[leetrisck]

4. Prayers for all

families, friends, countries

[Career Prole]

6. Let's dust off the "same ol', same ol'" cuz here we go again!

Afghan and American officials have predicted the situation will deteriorate before legislative elections are held in September.

Gee...where have I heard that before? "It'll go away after (insert defining event here)...they just hate seeing freedom on the march."


The Taliban have stepped up attacks, and there are disturbing signs that foreign fighters — including some linked to al-Qaida — might be making a new push to sow mayhem. Afghan officials say the fighters have used the porous border with Pakistan to enter the country, and officials have called on the Pakistani government do more to stop them.

I thought it was Syria with the porous border letting in the mayhem-sowers? Oh wait...that's that other war.

One thing that struck me from a similar story in the Washington Post today was in the last paragraph...

The U.S. operation in Konar is part of a larger spring campaign by U.S. and Afghan forces to flush out fighters from hideouts in the east and south of Afghanistan. Despite heavy losses, the militiamen have shown themselves to be hardy, well-equipped fighters who can wage battles for hours...

Hours?! You might want to check with the Russians on that.

[maddezmom]

9. O'Hara won't confirm that all onboard are dead....

US military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jerry O'Hara told AFP: "We are at the site. Recovery operations are ongoing."

He refused to elaborate on efforts to find the missing men and would not confirm reports from Washington that all those on board the helicopter, said to include a number of elite Navy SEALS, were thought to have died.

US warplanes have been patrolling above the rugged, heavily wooded site since the crash and US and Afghan troops are on the ground to stop any insurgents closing in.

"It's obviously a military and tactical operation on the ground. You have to assume the enemy are still active and that has hampered our rescue efforts," O'Hara said earlier. "Also the terrain and weather are not on our side."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050630/wl_afp/afghanistanusmilitarycrash_050630160715;_

perhaps there are POW's?

[NorthernSpy]

10. why'd it take 2 days to get to the wreckage? Afghanistan isn't THAT big..

Do they simply lack a ready means of locating their aircraft, or were they unable to get to the helicopter for some other reason, despite knowing where it was?


:think:

[NorthernSpy]

11. oh, wait -- they did say there was a storm...

Must've been a really bad one, to have stopped a rescue mission!


:think:

[Ilsa]

14. Sounds like it must have been a real shit-storm. n/t

[LivingInTheBubble]

13. I heard on radio news here

that "fighting in the area" stopped them being able to get to the wreckage initially.