Copter Downed by Taliban Fire; Elite U.S. Unit Among Dead

New York Times ^ | 6 AUGUST 2011 | RAY RIVERA, ALISSA J. RUBIN and THOM SHANKER

[rdb3]

KABUL, Afghanistan — In the deadliest day for American forces in the nearly decade-long war in Afghanistan, insurgents shot down a Chinook transport helicopter on Saturday, killing 30 Americans, including some Navy Seal commandos from the unit that killed Osama bin Laden, as well as 8 Afghans, American and Afghan officials said.

[rdb3]

First read of this incident here.

Biden's big mouth!

If you can't appreciate the pure beauty of the violin after hearing this, something's wrong with your ears.

Or you can get raw with these strings. Either way, the violin is sweet yet lethal.

Do it!

[E. Pluribus Unum]

[Berlin_Freeper]

In this photo taken in 2008, US Army soldiers and Afghan National Army soldiers take positions after racing off a UH-47 Chinook helicopter in Khost province. A total of 31 members of the US special forces have died in a helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan along with seven Afghans, a statement from Afghan President Hamid Karzai's office said

[SpaceBar]

the deadliest day for American forces...

[Yorlik803]

We have a general Idea where these scumbags are. So what we should do is get about 30 B52s and ARCLIGHT the area.
But we cant do that...that wouldnt be fair.

[GAB-1955]

A RPG through the helicopter as they were pulling out after raiding a Taliban house.

[fight_truth_decay]

Wow....what a loss of the best and the bravest. My sympathies goes out to the families.

I noticed Obama gave his usual canned TOTUS[?] response to this tragedy--was he not deliberately holding the men and women as well as their families hostage during the budget crisis?

I have nothing good to say about this president, he cannot be gone soon enough.

[fight_truth_decay]

The fact that the tragedy represents the single largest loss of life in one instant during the entire 10-year Afghan campaign is itself another important factor. The inevitable question is what effect this will have on the prosecution of the campaign itself – and opinions will be divided.

Although the full details of the engagement are still to be clarified it would appear that the loss occurred as a special forces team was returning from a raid on an insurgents' headquarters that had resulted in the killing of a number of Taliban fighters – possibly commanders among them. -Telegraph.co.uk, By Richard Dannatt, former Chief of the General Staff

[buck61]

I played the piece.........http://aimini.net/view/?fid=ajK0X0veB6xWd8tiTXh3 with the Violin, beautiful, but made me feel very sad for the family’s of those troops who were killed, even though the title is Sad Romance.

Thanks

[Rider on the Rain]

I don’t know the level of intelligence gathering the taliban has. I do know it was a mistake of treasonable level to exclose the details of OBL’s hit. This is another nail in the subzero administration’s coffin. Just my 2cents.

[freedomtrail]

Get everybody out of that hell hole.Nuke their poppy fields and come home.

[Rider on the Rain]

Yeah, but that would take a potus on our side wouldn’t it?

[Lockbar]

Are they dancing in the streets of New York City yet?

[reefdiver]

Why did the brass have so many of our best all in one machine? Have the brass fallen in love with using them? Why are we still in that Sh!t hole anyways, Alexander the Great got bloddied there bad, as did the British at the height of their power, the Russians and now the US of A. What the F*ck is the mission and what is the exit plan? What does winning look like?

[repub4ever1]

And our objective in Afghanistan is....???
And what is the exit strategy...???

[gotribe]

Out of Iraq, Afgh, and Libya NOW. No more dying for Obama.

[Oystir]

“insurgents shot down a Chinook”

who would be these insurgents?

[PGalt]

Thanks for posting, rdb3.

Why did the brass have so many of our best all in one machine?

My thoughts also. Inside info by Afghanis for the Taliban (or worse permutations of that line of thinking)?

The finest of America's finest. The greatest Americans the rest of the world may never know. Condolences to their families and friends.

[DJlaysitup]

"An RPG through the helicopter as they were pulling out after raiding a Taliban house."

The Guardian (UK) is reporting that the Chinook was taken down by a surface-to-air misslie. If their reporting is correct - this could be a game changer. The last time I did a Google search on shoulder fired S-to-A missiles (a year or two ago) I found out that Russia, China, and even Egypt were manufacturing these "Stinger-type" guided weapons...with varying degrees of technology.

[DJlaysitup]

Interestingly - the Guardian.UK article has now been modified to blame the downing on an RPG. Smoke of battle?