Or when something went terribly wrong. [PHOTOS:Fighting in Afghanistan Continues]. But the Team Six connection makes it a major symbolic victory for them. 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. They heard a helicopter coming, they grabbed their RPGs, and they fired in quick succession, Darack said. One of the engines flew off, and the other caught fire. 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. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. U.S. Portraits of Navy SEALs killed in helicopter crash | Fox News One helicopter crashes, but there are no injuries. Legal Statement. The story itself is tragic, but tons of war propaganda. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver. Special forces routinely use helicopters in raids on homes in Afghanistan. They are also pretty tough; the only comparable loss to this one was a Chinook shot down in 2005. But one thing that doesnt fade is never forgetting what they did.. Only the pilots, crew, and special operations ground forces commanders knew about the planned flight path and time. The subject of the tweet, per The Beast, is Alan Howell Parrot, a falconer-turned-CIA whistleblower who was once the star of a documentary called Feathered Cocaine.. Families suspect SEAL Team 6 crash was inside job on worst day in "He said, 'Mom, there's chatter. The quick reaction force included SEAL Team 6 and other special operations personnel. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The worst of the wounded was one of Lees crew members, who suffered what was later diagnosed as a severe traumatic brain injury. However, a shoot down does not necessarily mean insurgents have changed their tactics or hardware. Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. 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. Things like Benghazi and the NSA. 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. Ten computer hard drives, five computers and more than 100 storage devices were retrieved. Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft that supported the raid, including a Predator drone, and a variety of highly specialized spy planes, had kept continuous watch over the region during the operation. Flying 250 feet above the valley floor at just under 70 miles per hour, Dave Carter, the pilot to the right of Nichols, guided the helicopter toward a carefully chosen landing zone just over a mile away. To minimize the danger as much as possible, pilots will land Chinooks out of range of any weapons they know they enemy to have, and an Apache or a UAV will fly overhead to check for threats before the Chinooks drop off any soldiers. Victory Point: Operations Red Wings and Whalersthe Marine Corps' Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion, Navy SEAL's Savior Claims 'Lone Survivor' Got It Wrong. 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. She also said the team was hindered by rules of engagement that prohibited their firing on potential targets unless they could see a weapon. I mean, at any time if we would have found these squirters, or they would have found weapons, we were the way I was understanding it, we were going to be clear to engage due to the fact that they had weapons, but we had to [positively identify] them first., He added: So we hadnt started looking at the LZ yet, just due to there was so much more of a threat to the east with the squirters. She had just given birth to their first child. And it even led Robert ONeill, the Trump-supporting Navy Seal who claims to have fired the shot that killed Bin Laden, to tweet that the conspiracy theories both about the Bin Laden double and about the Seals from the raid having been killed arent true. 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. There are more sophisticated threats out there, such as the SA-16. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4:05 p.m. - The first helicopter exits the compound. I had to learn how to land while browned-out, wearing NVGs, on the side of a mountain or an uneven field, Lee said. 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. Although the Taliban have claimed to have shot the helicopter down, U.S. officials have only identified the attackers as insurgents. Aerial view of Osama bin Laden's compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, made by the CIA. More than 20 Navy Seals died in the helicopter crash that killed 31 in Afghanistan yesterday. (AP). On April 29, 2011, President Barack Obama authorized a small special operations team, known as SEAL Team Six, to carry out a raid on the compound. The Chinook is often used to assist in disaster relief, delivering food and water after earthquakes and floods. Their target was a Taliban commander responsible for ambushes and other attacks against U.S. and Afghan forces. The team was responding to an Army Ranger unit that was engaged in a firefight with the Taliban and needed backup. The police chief of Wardak said the attack occurred around 1 a.m. Saturday after an assault on a Taliban compound in the village of Jaw-e-Mekh Zareen in the Tangi Valley. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. International reactions to bin Ladens death ranged from favorable to mixed. because seals have a habit of writing books once they retire. MARTHA RADDATZ, LUIS MARTINEZ and MIKE BOETTCHER, helicopter was shot down today by Afghan insurgents, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The operation to kill the world's most wanted terrorist was the result of years of planning and training. In addition to killing the man who was considered the mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, U.S. forces snagged valuable items from the compound during the raid. A man reads the front page of a newspaper featuring the news that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was shot dead deep inside Pakistan in a night-time helicopter raid by US covert forces, ending a decade-long manhunt for the mastermind of the September 11 attacks. The route had been carefully planned, and gunships maintained continuous watch over the intended landing zone during Extortion 17's approach. The pilots, crew and Chinook helicopters of "Extortion Company," the conventional Army aviation unit to which Extortion 17 belonged, had supported over 90 percent of raids conducted by Rangers and SEALs of JSOC in that region; the flight in question was nothing out of the ordinary. Forces to the threat of spying. 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. The military's public contradictions raise more questions than answers. Six weeks later, at around 10:40 p.m., an assault team of Army Rangers and Afghan special operations forces were dropped into an LZ on a mission to capture or kill a Taliban commander named Qari Tahir, who had been responsible for a series of attacks and ambushes in the Tangi Valley, not far from Shank. The landing zone was small, and the commanders didnt want to split up the strike force. 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 Rangers were not in need of rescue. Lees second deployment started in May of 2011. 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. Mills, a 13-year veteran of the military . I am afraid that with this FOIA case that the government is purposely delaying turning over documents because they need the time to redact and to delete things they do not want the American public to become aware of.. It is not uncommon for commandos to fly some of their missions aboard such aircraft in the war zone, however. Strange also blamed top military brass for sending the troops into a situation they were allegedly ill-equipped and unprepared to handle. 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. ", "The hearts and minds of our enemy are more valuable to our government than my son's blood," she said. House panel probing chopper crash that killed SEAL Team 6 members The Pentagon on Thursday identified the Americans as 17 members of the elite Navy SEALs, five Naval Special Warfare personnel who support the SEALs, three Air Force Special Operations personnel and. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The reality is, every time a helicopter lifts off the ground in a war zone, it might get shot down, Darack said. Seals from team that killed Bin Laden in helicopter crash With David Boreanaz, Max Thieriot, Jessica Par, Neil Brown Jr.. While some of those who lost their lives that day were members of Seal Team 6, it was not the same platoon that had carried out the Bin Laden raid, and none of those killed in the crash had been a part of that event. SEAL TEAM SIX - EXTORTION 17 COVER UP - YouTube 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. How SEAL Team Six Took Out Osama bin Laden - HISTORY But why? The missions commanders decided to insert another team to go after Tahir while the Rangers held the compound. As reported on by The Daily Beast, Trump retweeted a message posted by an account called Oscar the Midnight Rider 1111, which alleges that Hiden Biden and Obama may have had Seal team 6 killed! It was a good crew, it really was. The Chinook was descending on a noisy battlefield where Apache helicopters and a C-130 gunship had been buzzing overhead for three hours, alerting Taliban fighters. A Justice Department spokeswoman said there would be no comment beyond its court filings. The incident comes just months after DevGru's raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Planners selected a landing zone that had never been used before. President Obama offered his thoughts and prayers to those killed in the crash. Planners had created an absolutely sound mission. In addition to the 30 Americans, the official said there were seven Afghan army soldiers and an interpreter on the helicopter. Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan Reportedly Kills Members of SEAL Team 6 Somebody tipped them off. They were part of the same Army Reserve unit, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment based in Gardner, Kan. Nichols, with three combat tours of duty, also had plenty of experience flying dangerous missions. But why? The Taliban, of course, has taken credit, saying it shot down the helo during a special forces raid on a home. The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DevGru)better known by its former name, Team 6-reportedly suffered the bulk of the casualties. Image:U.S. PresidentDonaldTrumpholds a campaign rally at John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, U.S. October 13, 2020. SEAL TEAM SIX - EXTORTION 17 COVER UP theunitedwest 15.8K subscribers Subscribe 683 53K views Streamed 7 years ago WOW, watch author Don Brown blow the lid off of the official government report. Lee heard the call, and he knew what it meant. The Graveyard of Empires: Directed by David Boreanaz. 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. 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. May 1 (EDT)1:25 p.m. President Obama, along with other top officials, formally approve the execution of Operation Neptune Spear.1:51 p.m. Stealth Black Hawk helicopters take off from Afghanistan, carrying a group of 25 Navy SEALs.3:30 p.m. The choppers land on the compound in Abbottabad. See production, box office & company info, Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words. Coincidence or not, any Chinook shoot-down is a coup for the Taliban. All but two of the SEALs were from SEAL Team 6, the unit that killed Osama bin Laden, although military officials said none of the crash victims was on that mission in Pakistan against the al . They have to slow down to land or allow troops to rappel to the ground. Soon after US Navy Cryptologist Michael Strange and the elite SEAL Team 6 capture and kill Bin Laden, they are deployed to Afghanistan, where their Chinook is shot down. This misinformation persists in part because those unfamiliar with the battlefield aren't taking into account a fundamental part of war: chance. The workhorse in Army aviation, the tandem rotor, heavy-lift Chinook helicopter is used for carrying troops, equipment, supplies and even the mail. It launched in the belly of the aircraft which made a hard landing and only two soldiers were injured in that attack but this time all on board were killed. Faces of the Fallen: Helicopter Dead - ABC News All rights reserved. The aircraft jerked. That means more raids, more targets and more reliance on Afghan competenceall of which add up to more special forces casualties. I thought I hit a tree,he said. In fact, the conflict was heating up. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. The Taliban shot at the Chinooks all the time with RPGs and rifles, Darack said. They happened to be in the right place at the right time. 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. However, it would be a very lucky shot to hit a moving Chinook with an RPG and they typically fly high to avoid such dangers as well as small arms fire. "Fallen Angel" - What really happened to Extortion 17? New film probes 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. 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 families of some of the 17 SEAL Team 6 commandos who were killed in an ambush in Afghanistan during a helicopter flight to help Army Rangers pinned down by Taliban gunmen accused the. "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. But Tahir and a group of his fighters escaped. The next day, a DNA test confirmed that the body was indeed that of Osama bin Laden. But why? 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. He knew the pilots and crew members aboard Extortion 17. It was exactly four years ago, at 2:22 a.m., that a rebuilt conventional CH-47 Chinook helicopter took off from a forward operating base, carrying some of the most skilled and advanced warriors ever molded by U.S. special operations. Darack, a writer and photographer, is the author of four previous books, including Victory Point: Operations Red Wings and Whalersthe Marine Corps' Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan, Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Were pleading with the judge to do something, and hes just sitting on it., In one of his motions, Mr. Klayman stated: As this Court must be aware, this is not an ordinary Freedom of Information Act case, it involves obtaining records concerning the deaths of Navy SEAL Team 6 and other special operations forces on a mission with the call sign Extortion 17. The conspiracy theories didnt bother Lee at first. Are such missiles appearing in Afghanistan? 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. And they sent our guys right into the middle.. 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. Seven Afghan commandos were also reportedly killed. You also want to come in from a different direction for the element of surprise.. These missiles add ultraviolet tracking to infrared seekers, making them less susceptible to the flares that Chinooks fire to try to throw incoming missiles off course. 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. . "We will draw inspiration from their lives, and continue the work of securing our country and standing up for the values that they embodied. But no one died. The hardest LZ Id ever been into, Lee said. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst. My life is in danger. SEAL TEAM SIX - Extortion 17 EXPOSED theunitedwest 15.8K subscribers Subscribe 4.7K 394K views Streamed 9 years ago AUGUST 6, 2015 - Today, on the fourth anniversary of the shoot down of. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Family members are hoping Freedom Watch, a watchdog legal group led by Larry Klayman, can force new disclosures using the power of the FOIA process. 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. He spoke out against banning girls education. They were part of his command. But it's just as plausible that the Taliban got lucky. Michael Savage: SEAL Team 6 was assassinated, executed You never want to use the same landing zone twice, Darack said. And you know, never before in the history of our county (had) a sitting president released that type of information to the public, especially when he was talking about special forces. The SEALS intentionally . "A NATO helicopter crashed last night in Wardak province," Karzai said in the statement. They were sitting there, waiting. It wasnt preventable. 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. On the fourth anniversary of the worst one-day loss of military life in the war on terror, families of the dead say they are aghast that the government will not honor basic requests under the Freedom of Information Act. And needless to say, it was the real Bin Laden who was killed, not an incredible facsimile. The pilots ranked among the most proficient in this type of flying and the Department of Defense. And Justice unilaterally set a new deadline for the release and then ignored it, Mr. Klayman said. They loaded onto Extortion 17, and then Carter and Nichols lifted the Chinook into the night sky. 3 Questions About the SEAL Team Six Helicopter Crash - Popular Mechanics The military's public contradictions raise more questions than answers. SEAL Team 6 Families Force Congress To Investigate Mysterious Chopper Crash
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