Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan Kills Members of SEAL Team 6

[Ryan Ruck]

Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan Kills Members of SEAL Team 6

August 6, 2011

The Associated Press has learned that more than 20 Navy SEALs from the unit that killed Osama bin Laden were among those lost in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

The operators from SEAL Team Six were flown by a crew of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. That's according to one current and one former U.S. official. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because families are still being notified of the loss of their loved ones.

One source says the team was thought to include 22 SEALs, three Air Force air controllers, seven Afghan Army troops, a dog and his handler, and a civilian interpreter, plus the helicopter crew.

The sources thought this was the largest single loss of life ever for SEAL Team Six, known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group.

[Segestan]

Very sad.

[Phil Fiord]

Team Six is the team that got Osama, isn't it? Not to sound conspiratorial, but it seems odd that same team would be shot down in a chopper.

[Phil Fiord]

Yup...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...08-06-06-27-19

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Insurgents shot down a U.S. military helicopter during fighting in eastern Afghanistan, killing 30 Americans, most of them belonging to the same elite Navy SEALs unit that killed Osama bin Laden, as well as seven Afghan commandos, U.S. officials said Saturday. It was the deadliest single loss for American forces in the decade-old war.


The downing 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 U.S.-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 raid in which the helicopter crashed would suggest that the target was a high-ranking insurgent figure.

more at above link.

[American Patriot]

Oh.. Damn.

Thanks for the news guys.

[vector7]

This is a weird coincidence...

Sunday, August 7, 2011
Navy SEALs That Got Bin Laden Die In Afghan NATO Chopper Crash

The Navy SEALs killed were on a mission to rescue troops pinned down by Afghan insurgents, a U.S. military official says.



KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- The bodies of 38 U.S. and Afghan soldiers were removed from the wreckage of a downed helicopter southwest of Afghanistan's capital, officials said Sunday.

International Security Assistance Force spokesman Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings told CNN the process of notifying U.S. families of the deaths had begun.

The large CH-47 Chinook helicopter was carrying 30 U.S. special forces soldiers, 22 of them Navy SEALs, as well as seven Afghan soldiers and an interpreter.

The Taliban claimed it had shot down the helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade, but NATO wouldn't confirm that and issued little information about the incident.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said finding the reason for the crash would take time.

"Information is still coming in about this incident," he said. "I think it's important that we allow investigators to do their work before jumping to too many conclusions."

The double-rotor troop transport craft went down in Wardak province southwest of Kabul Friday night. It was bringing the special troops back from a mission in which eight Taliban militants were killed, initial reports said.


Here's another...

Second Helicopter Goes Down in Afghanistan-33 Killed-Details Still Sketchy

The Taliban claim 33 US soliders have been killed in a second helicopter crash in eatern Afghanitan. (file photo)

A second helicopter belonging to the US-led NATO coalition has crashed in Paktia Province in eastern Afghanistan, killing 33 US forces on board.

Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mojahid claimed responsibility for the crash, which occured in Zarmat city on Monday, saying 33 American troops were killed in the downing, a Press TV correspondent reported on Monday.

Separately, another NATO chopper made a hard landing in the same area in eastern Paktia province late Sunday, Afghan witnesses and officials told Press TV.

The US-led NATO forces have cordoned off the scene of the incident, witnesses said.

The incident has reportedly left some casualties, but there are no words yet on the exact number of the killed or injured.

The main cause of the incident is not clear yet.

Meanwhile, the US-led alliance issued a statement and confirmed that the helicopter made an emergency landing. The statement said no one was injured and that it has launched an investigation into the incident.

The incident came in the wake of a similar incident on Saturday, which claimed lives of 31 US forces.

Taliban claimed responsibility for Saturday helicopter crash, but NATO said it has started an investigation into the incident.

[vector7]

Team Six is the team that got Osama, isn't it? Not to sound conspiratorial, but it seems odd that same team would be shot down in a chopper.

This is going to raise more questions.

[American Patriot]

Had a conversation this morning. Somewhat muted with friends. Looks like they were certainly shot down. Whether or not it was a "trap" as has been surmised by Stratfor remains to be seen.

Most of us think it was a damned lucky shot.

In any case, this is Obama's fault. Our forces are being stretched pretty thin because of him and because of him Rangers were in deep shit when this bird flew to help.

This is the same shit Carter pulled when I was in the service with Desert One.

Not sending enough, trained forces, the wrong equipment and making them go ahead in SPITE of the weather.

[Ryan Ruck]

This is the same shit Carter pulled when I was in the service with Desert One.

Same shit Clinton pulled with the Rangers and Delta in Mog.

Hmmm... I'm seeing a pattern.

[Ryan Ruck]

‘I Just Fell to My Knees’: Navy SEAL Widow Says Her Husband Died the Only Way He Would Have Wanted

August 8, 2011



CNN:

Navy SEAL Aaron Vaughn “wouldn’t want to leave this Earth any other way than how he did,” his wife told CNN, a day after she learned her husband was one of 30 U.S. service members killed in a helicopter crash Saturday in Afghanistan.

“He loved his job,” Kimberly Vaughn said. “There was no way — even if you could tell him that this would have happened he would have done it anyway. All those men are like that. They’re selfless.”



Kimberly Vaughn saw TV reports about the downed helicopter Saturday morning, but the tragedy reached her home when her doorbell rang.

“I thought, ‘Oh, hopefully it’s just a neighbor,’ and as I rounded the stairs I saw the men in uniform and I just fell to my knees,” she said. “There’s no preparing for it. It’s something you see in the movies. It‘s not something you’re supposed to live through.”

Her father was standing with her to hold her up as the Navy officers told her that her husband was killed in action.

“I fell to my knees and cried and didn’t want to hear it, but it’s the truth,” Vaughn said. “You want it to be a mistake. You want them to say it’s the wrong person, but I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”

Aaron and Kimberly, married for three years, also have a 2-month-old daughter, Chamberlyn. He was stationed in Virginia Beach, Virginia,

“I want to tell the world that he was an amazing man, that he was a wonderful husband, and a fabulous father to two wonderful children,” she said.

“He was a warrior for Christ and he was a warrior for our country and he wouldn’t want to leave this Earth any other way than how he did.”

To hear Aaron’s grandmother describe her last conversation with him click here.

Take note of the tattoo on his forearm...

[American Patriot]

I can't read it, but looks greek.

[Ryan Ruck]

It is Greek, Molon Labe (anglicized), which basically means "Come and take them". A pro-2nd Amendment phrase from the Battle of Thermopylae.

[American Patriot]

I thought so, couldn't quite read it. I used to have that as my signature line here on the site for a couple of years.

[Ryan Ruck]

That's right, now that you mention that I remember you having it.

[Backstop]

Just my opinion, and personal standard.

I refuse to copy, print, or distribute in any manner any information related to SEAL Team 6, its members, families, hometowns, etc.

[vector7]

Obama Cancels Planned Event, Will Go To Dover Air Force Base

Zeke Miller | Aug. 9, 2011, 9:01 AM | 9,646 | 88


Image: C-Span
See Also:


Obama: "No Matter What Some Agency May Say, We've Always Been And Always Will Be A 'Triple-A' Country"



McConnell Calls For "Significant Entitlement Reforms" After S&P Downgrade


Senate Banking Committee Weighing Probe Of S&P Downgrade


UPDATE: Report: Obama To View Return Of Remains Of Americans Killed In Afghanistan Today

Original: The White House just announced that all public events have been cancelled today, including a much-publicized appearance by President Barack Obama at a company in Springfield, VA to highlight new fuel efficiency standards.

Obama has faced criticism over his slow response to the Standard and Poor's downgrade as well as the stock market plunge.

As the Fed meets today, there is some speculation that Obama is preparing an announcement on the economy — perhaps that he will call Congress back into session from its August recess to pass job-creation legislation.

The White House laughed off such a proposal in yesterday's press briefing, but has been facing mounting criticism from both Democrats and Republicans to take more of a leadership role on the economy.

We'll keep you posted if anything develops.

[vector7]

OBL Payback: US helicopter crashed in Taliban trap: Afghan official

I blame the President.

I believe the loose lips of this reckless, incompetent fraud cost this group of elite Navy Seals their lives. So obsessed was this mental patient with taking credit for something that he didn't have the stomach for (and didn't want), he ensured a US sacrifice of incalculable proportion. And I said so here.

The Navy SEALs from the unit that killed Osama bin Laden were among those lost in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Back in May, Defense Secretary Gates said that releasing information about the OBL raid threatened the safety of Navy SEALs and their families, making them targets for terrorists.

We should not have been told. Obama should have released the pictures of that jihadist monster and moved on. Instead, he gave him a proper Islamic burial and held back on proof for fear on insulting Islam.

US helicopter crashed in Taliban trap: Afghan official Yahoo News (hat tip tip)

The Taliban lured US forces into an elaborate trap to shoot down their helicopter, killing 30 American troops in the deadliest such incident of the war, an Afghan official said Monday.

US President Barack Obama pledged that the incident -- which killed 38 people -- would not keep foreign forces from prevailing in Afghanistan, and the Pentagon called the downing of the Chinook a "one-off" that would not alter US strategy.

The late Friday attack marked the biggest single loss of life for American and NATO forces since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan toppled the Taliban in late 2001, shortly after the September 11 attacks.

The loss of the Chinook during an anti-Taliban operation southwest of Kabul dealt a blow to elite US special forces, which had 25 members on board -- 22 US Navy SEAL commandos and three Air Force Special Operations Forces.

Five US Army personnel, seven Afghan commandos and an interpreter also died.

A senior Afghan government official told AFP on condition of anonymity that Taliban commander Qari Tahir lured US forces to the scene by tipping them off that a Taliban meeting was taking place.

He also said four Pakistanis helped Tahir carry out the strike.

"Now it's confirmed that the helicopter was shot down and it was a trap that was set by a Taliban commander," said the official, citing intelligence gathered from the area.

"The Taliban knew which route the helicopter would take," he continued.

"That's the only route, so they took position on the either side of the valley on mountains and as the helicopter approached, they attacked it with rockets and other modern weapons. It was brought down by multiple shots."

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to discuss the issue, also said President Hamid Karzai's US-backed government "thinks" the attack was retaliation for the May killing of Osama bin Laden.

[vector7]

So the Pakistani ISI must have given information to the Taliban?

Listening to Savage yesterday on the way home he covered this very subject while asking the same question.

He also covered the current financial debt crisis topics.


Here's the broadcast.

[American Patriot]

10 August 2011 Airstrike Kills Taliban Militants Who Shot Down Helicopter

LTR Basic VOA Training User 3 | Juba


[IMG]http://media.voanews.com/images/480*300/480720.jpg[/IMG] Photo: AP


The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan says an airstrike has killed the militants responsible for last week's helicopter crash that killed 38 Americans and Afghans.

Insurgents shot down the Chinook helicopter in the central Afghan province of Wardak on Saturday.
Thirty American troops, including members of the elite Navy SEALS, were killed along with seven Afghan soldiers and an Afghan interpreter. It was the worst loss of life for the United States in a single incident during the decade-long war in Afghanistan.

[IMG]http://media.voanews.com/images/300*300/afganistan_kandahar_300Ap.jpg[/IMG]AP

Afghan people inspects the damaged house after a gunbattle in Kandahar, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, July 20, 2011. Three Afghan police officers and two insurgents were killed in an overnight gunbattle in the southern city of Kandahar, a new escalation of violence as the international military coalition this week transfers responsibility for security in some areas of the country to government security forces.(AP Photo/Allauddin Khan)
General John Allen told reporters at the Pentagon via videoconference Wednesday that a coalition air raid killed the Taliban insurgents responsible for bringing down the helicopter in Wardak.

In a separate statement, NATO said the precision airstrike Tuesday killed Taliban leader Mullah Mohibullah and the insurgent who "fired the shot associated with" the downing of the CH-47 helicopter in the Tangi Valley.

The coalition said special operations forces tracked down Mohibullah and the shooter after receiving information from local citizens. The two men were attempting to flee the country to avoid capture.

The Chinook helicopter had been sent into the Tangi Valley on Saturday as part of an operation targeting a Taliban leader.

NATO said Wednesday that while it has not been determined if enemy fire was the "sole reason" for the helicopter crash, the aircraft did take fire from several insurgent locations on its approach.
During Wednesday's briefing, General Allen also reaffirmed that a probe was underway. He noted that while a rocket-propelled grenade was at least partly to blame for the crash, small arms fire may have also played a role.

The American commander also defended the decision to send in the elite team to pursue insurgents who were "escaping" from an ongoing operation targeting an important Taliban leader.

General Allen said that the Taliban leader targeted in the operation has not yet been killed or captured by coalition or Afghan forces.

The head of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan also said the killing of those responsible for the helicopter crash does not "ease our loss" and vowed that troops will continue to relentlessly pursue "the enemy."

[vector7]

UPDATE FROM 2011: Seal Team 6 Copter Shoot Down: Is the CIA Erasing Evidence of the OBL Operation?
May 9, 2013 1930 EDT
By John Galt









Today’s shocking press conference is forcing me to move this story back to the front page after revelations from the families of the killed Navy Seal Team 6 in Afghanistan in 2011. I posted the story below this video on August 7, 2011 asking the question and now it would appear, almost 2 years later, that my suspicions sadly may be confirmed. God help our Republic if our leaders are so willing to kill brave men in our nation’s service to protect their lies.

http://youtu.be/rqtJrJ40Cio

(if you can not see the video linked above, click on the title link to watch)

Remember the initial lie? The media covering for Obama and his fiends plus many inside the Pentagon claimed that “none of the OBL team were on the flight.”
First and foremost that is utter bulls***.

The media is covering for America’s Messiahdictator and this is enraging. I now REPOST my original article below for all to read and reconsider. This is another example of the Executive Branch MURDERING American citizens for political and economic gain.

——————————————————————————————–

Seal Team 6 Copter Shoot Down: Is the CIA Erasing Evidence of the OBL Operation?

By John Galt
August 7, 2011 09:30 ET

As many of my readers and listeners know, I am not much for conspiracies from the extreme woo-woo land, but every now and then I will take a swim in the conspiracy pool and get a toe or two wet. This morning however, I think I’m diving into the deep end with this one and I hope you’ll follow my logic because the shooting down of the helicopter containing members of Seal Team Six which were involved in the alleged assassination of Osama Bin Laden struck me as just way too coincidental as far as timing and the news flow since the goat lover was announced dead.

The story on the front page of The Drudge Report this morning confirmed that the helicopter was indeed shot down during an operation yesterday, after initial reports from our government painted it as a “crash” that was under investigation. I was instantly skeptical of this report after the news broke because as was validated later in the day, it was the first time for a loss of life that large in one day in that theater of operations and even more unusual it just happened to be members of the United States Navy Seals. That made me even more suspicious and started my conspiratorial Spidey senses (the old Spidey, not the new PC one) to start putting a little logic together and wondering if indeed this was an actual lucky shot by the Taliban or a planned eradication of evidence.


Rumors were abound about the glory of the operation inside Pakistan which killed allegedly killed Osama Bin Laden. I say allegedly because as I stated on the radio at that time, the facts did not add up. It is not in the nature of any member of the U.S. military that I have ever met to just shoot an unarmed man, especially if that individual could be a huge intelligence cache or asset. Would the Navy Seals escort a CIA team into a combat operations and terminate all security personnel allowing the CIA to kill at will and retrieve data? You betcha. But for the team to enter into a residence and shoot unarmed civilians did not sound like the military I know nor an operation that they would have engaged in unless it was to cover for Central Intelligence Agency operatives.


Thus why since day one of this, I was happy to hear that OBL was dead yet I had lingering doubts.


Now fast forward to several months after the event and numerous stories about a supposedly non-existent Seal Team unit and glorification of a group which has remained faceless and nameless until this point. The White House and its incompetent civilian staff, including the moron who is Vice-President, revealed more about this operation than any administration did in history to almost indoctrinate the public that our soldiers were indeed capable of killing at will, which of course some members of any large military are capable of. This begs the question: Were the revelations deliberate, accidental, or part of a great plan? The Navy never wanted this much exposure for the unit yet there were operatives within the administration that insisted on leaking to their “friends” in the media details of all sorts, including quite possibly the home addresses and names of the unit’s members per some reports.


The news story yesterday, much like the story concocted for the Osama Bin Laden assassination, is full of puzzle pieces which do not fit and thus my skepticism so let’s take that trip down “Conspiracy Lane” and highlight some points which might make sense to some but paint a possible truth yet will never be revealed in our lifetime.


1. The Central Intelligence Agency is not loved nor admired by long time combat hardened members of our military. This is a historic fact dating back to the atrocities never revealed from the Vietnam War and the tactics used to extract information and actual war crimes that may have been committed but soldiers wisely refused to reveal that information for fear of their lives.


2. The CIA has been quietly been withdrawing key personnel from Pakistan, those that were essential to the OBL operation including the sudden departure of Mark Carlton the CIA Station Chief who was allegedly forced to leave Islamabad by the Pakistani intelligence agency at the behest of their government. This is the second station chief to depart in the last six months that we know of.


3. Most of the members killed yesterday in the helicopter shoot down were members of the team which had personnel which participated in the OBL operation which did have CIA involvement. To add from the BBC’s version of the story:

US sources say the special forces were from the Navy Seal unit which killed Osama Bin Laden, but are “unlikely” to be the same personnel.

Unlikely? The first story was that it was an accident. And since they can never reveal their identities, would you trust THIS GOVERNMENT to tell the truth?


4. The CIA is known for erasing all evidence of high level intelligence programs which could reveal personnel, information and data obtained, or witnesses/non-CIA participants of said operations.


5. This is the first time in almost ten years of warfare in Afghanistan that a Chinook helicopter with a loss of life this large has ever been brought down allegedly by the Taliban.


Am I saying that the CIA shot the helicopter down? Not directly, because there is no evidence that this was the case.


Do I believe in coincidence?


No.


Would I speculate, while wearing my conspiracy hat, that the CIA is capable of hiring operatives inside Afghanistan using their personnel and possibly arming the now probably dead Taliban or drug industry related contractors with Stingers that they would set up the Seal Team to be shot down thus eradicating any evidence of the OBL operation and the information obtained?


Yes.


In fact I would go further and state that now I am in the camp that Osama could well be alive at an undisclosed location being used to obtain information not just about Al Qaeda operations, but about funding and tactical support from Saudi, Chinese, Pakistani, and other nations that wished to create problems for the United States and the West to accelerate our downfall.


I leave your interpretation and calculations up to each of my readers. The rarity of a loss of this magnitude in a war in which we declared the Taliban were fewer in number and in retreat plus the fact that the dead just “happen” to include the members of the team involved in the OBL operation has helped to make my mind up and I think there is corruption within this government and its shadow government counterpart which goes far beyond the simple assassination of our soldiers and enemies.


God help this Republic of ours if I am correct.