AFGHANISTAN : US HELICOPTER CRASH; 17 US SOLDIERS ABOARDThe US Helicpoter CH-47 Chinook was probably shot down on Tuesday by Taliban forces close to the Pakistani border in Afghanistan's Kunar province.
The helicopter was carrying at least seventeen US troops.
However, "initial reports indicate
the crash may have been caused by hostile fire. "The status of the service members is unknown at this time," said the military statement.
The Chinook was bringing regular and specialized soldiers to reinforce the ground
operation "Red Wing", carried out by the US troops
against the al-Quaeda fighters in Kunar. The American vehicle had to pass over a remote and mountainous area in the west of Asadabad.
According to Wali Allah Shahin, an al-Jazeera correspondent, Talibans might have shot down the helicopter using rocket-propelled grenades.
U.S. military spokesman Colonel Jim Yonts said that the Chinook was hit when approaching its helipad, but he wasn't sure about the cause of the crash:
"Whether or not that caused it to crash, we do not know yet," he told the press.
A Taliban spokesman,
Abdul Latif Hakimi, claimed responsibility for the attack and said that the fighters had used a new type of weapon for shooting down the helicopter, adding no further details.
Official sources from Washington reported that some of the soldiers on board were part of the elite Navy Seals Special Operations troops and were trained to fight against any enemy in any conditions, especialy behind enemy lines.
"This is a
tragic event for all of us, and our hearts and prayers go out to the families, loved ones and service members still fighting in the area," said Brigadier-General Greg Champion of the US army.
Another Chinook was shot down on April 6 in the province of Ghazni. 15 US troops and three American civilians were killed in that crash.
The Taliban has claimed the event to be a "
huge success" and their video footage of the crash is expected to come out on the internet (
www.alemarah.com).
Reutersal-JazeeraThe New York TimesALSO IN BLOGGER NEWS
Il Romanaccio at 10:49 AM
