7 Killed In Afghan Helicopter Crash

5 Americans Among NATO Troops Who Died; Taliban Claims Responsibility

(AP)  Five Americans and two other soldiers died when a Chinook helicopter was apparently shot down in Afghanistan's most volatile province, a U.S. military official said. The Taliban claimed responsibility.

NATO's International Security Assistance Force said other troops rushing to the scene were ambushed and had to call in air support to drive off their attackers.

Initial reports suggested the helicopter was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade on Wednesday evening, said the U.S. official, who insisted on speaking anonymously because the crash is under investigation. NATO said there were no survivors.

A purported Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, claimed in a phone call to The Associated Press that militants shot the helicopter down in southern Helmand province, the world's largest opium poppy-growing region where combat has been heavy in recent months.

Ahmadi did not offer any proof for his claim, but he specified the helicopter crashed in the Kajaki district hours before NATO reported that information. Kajaki is the site of a hydroelectric dam and the scene of recent fighting.

NATO said the CH-47 Chinook was carrying a crew of five and two military passengers when it crashed at about 9 p.m. local time. The cause is "being determined by military officials," it said. The nationality of the two other dead soldiers has not been released.

NATO said troops going to the crash site were ambushed by enemy fighters and the unit called in an airstrike "to eliminate the enemy threat." It did not say if the troops were from the U.S.-led coalition, NATO's force or the Afghan army. One civilian was injured by gunfire.

The CH-47 Chinook, a heavy transport helicopter with two rotors, can carry around 40 soldiers plus a small crew. The fact that it was flying at night suggests the aircraft could have been carrying troops on a nighttime air assault.

Kajaki is the site of a large U.S.-funded hydroelectric dam now being repaired so it can provide electricity to the southern city of Kandahar. British troops, who make up the bulk of the forces in Helmand province, have been engaged in fierce fighting around the dam protecting it.

The NATO force, which is responsible for a countrywide counter-insurgency campaign, has 37,000 soldiers, including about 14,000 Americans. There are 12,000 U.S. troops in the separate U.S.-led coalition, which trains the Afghan army and conducts Special Forces anti-terrorism operations.

Helicopter crashes in Afghanistan have been relatively rare. A Chinook crashed in February in the southern province of Zabul, killing eight U.S. personnel. Officials ruled out enemy fire as the cause.

In May 2006, another Chinook crashed attempting a nighttime landing on a small mountaintop in eastern Kunar province, killing 10 U.S. soldiers.

In 2005, a U.S. helicopter crashed in Kunar, after apparently being hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, killing 16 Americans.

Hours before Wednesday's helicopter attack, a senior U.S. military official, briefing reporters on the war effort, said the U.S. has "the Taliban on their heels" in Afghanistan.

Brig. Gen. Perry Wiggins, deputy director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon that "the Taliban has suffered numerous losses and has suffered losses to their senior leadership over this past month" in southern and eastern Afghanistan. As a result, said Wiggins, the Taliban has "reverted to asymmetric-type, small-scale, high-profile attacks."

Mullah Dadullah, a one-legged veteran who orchestrated an intensifying campaign of suicide attacks and beheadings, was killed in an operation in southern Afghanistan this month. He had been considered the top Taliban field commander.

Wiggins added that as the poppy harvest ends, more insurgents might join the battle.

"The fight's not over," he said. "We'll continue to take the offensive through several of the operations we have in Afghanistan, and hopefully... continue to inflict casualties on the Taliban."

[svenskasandy]

The World Bank and IMF have Summed up "Enhanced Initiatives for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Preliminary Document. Dated April 17, 2007.

Question: Why would money be poured into this country with War goiing on there, American troops being killed there.

Thank you,

Sandra
[e-mail]

[grazinggoat]

We agree that industrialized societies are generally more destructive than primitive societies. It appears that humans are little different than a virus that kills its host. And, in the process, kills itself.
Posted by tuckerndfw at 11:33 AM : May 31, 2007

-Buffer mecanisms on Earth can take some abuse from Humans' practices and behaviors, but if pushed too much to the extreme, they will break down. Before it's too late, some consciences are waking up to the fact that too much of consumption and industrialization is too harmful to the systems of which we are part. Look at the farming process using the synthesis chemicals that caused the waterbeds in most of America and Canada to be poisoned or polluted. Bringing up to this fact new legislations regarding the environment protection.

Your comparison of Humans to a virus killing its host and dying, is not untrue. The process has not reached its full dynamic and effects to have the feared results, not yet, but not so far though ...

[holynelson]

Voicing our opinion is easy when we are not in the war zone. Hopefully we all love our country The USA. What we should do or don't do is easy to say then do. We have children over there dying and some of them don't even know why. Prayer is the answer so voice your opinion to God.

[tuckerndfw]

Posted by grazinggoat at 10:49 AM : May 31, 2007

The relationship you attempted to make between global warming and imposing "democracy" on others at the point of a gun is unclear.

We agree that industrialized societies are generally more destructive than primitive societies. It appears that humans are little different than a virus that kills its host. And, in the process, kills itself.

[grazinggoat]

Attempting to impose "democracy" on other people at the point of a gun is truly one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard.
And would seemingly be a contradiction on the face of it.
Posted by tuckerndfw

-My biological background tells me that the variety of governments and governing are part of the mosaic and range of behaviors available in the Nature specifically for humans in order to SURVIVE.

Our western societies with the HUGE consumption and commercial practices have created a huge harm to the Nature; namely the Global warming, the poisoning by pollution and the diseases (AIDS), birdflus etc... whereas their societies are still primitive and healthier, one would say. The behaviorals between individuals are not sophisticated but effective and sufficient, to keep the strain of HUMANS alive and somehow thriving.

Take this example of consumption: moving one person 10 miles from point A to point B with a Hummer would release more than 15 pounds of Carbon Dioxyde in the Atmosphere. Doing the same thing over a donkey back would release hardly one pound of the same Carbon Dioxyde. So?

[kretos-2009]

i can say that they lie about dead soldiers. 35 killed.

[tuckerndfw]

Maybe we should have ignored what happened on 9/11 and just let everyone go on their merry way. I'm sure if we sat back and did nothing they would just go away.

Posted by guyfrompa45 at 08:53 AM : May 31, 2007

Anyone who seriously believes that "doing nothing" or "all out war" are the only two available options in response to the events of 9/11/01, or any other event, clearly have limited intellectual abilities.

And, are unfit to control government agencies, including the military.

The invasion of Afghanistan was not only ineffective, it was counterproductive.

Invading Afghanistan was as stupid as invading Iraq, possibly moreso.

[panhandlpete]

Does anybody ever revisit what life was like here in the US before 9/ll/01? And, what life would be like now had our leaders followed a different path? Not something enjoyable, for sure.

Over 3,000 died on 9/ll, but that mark has now been passed along with 24 thousand maimed for life in this war effort. (Saying nothing about the pain, anxiety and suffering to all those families.)

We have lost our sense of "freedom" in the efforts to make ourselve "safe". Who changed whom?

One has to wonder why the neighboring countries do not participate more in the fight to change these tribal countries.......why should they when they look to the mighty US to protect them? We police the world, but leave our borders and ports open.

A Billion dollars a year to Pakistan to help patrol its northern borders. So why would they turn over OSB and lose this easy money? Every little country on the globe can get a share if it says the Al Qaida IF muslims are present. So a war about OIL has now become elimination of one faction of people over another.

When you have a fatalistic view (armageddon), what you do does not matter for the results are predetermined!!!!!!

[poradicus]

1. Firewire 800 - would not operate in 800Mbs with Orangeware or Unibrain drivers. The only way that I was able to run it is with the Microsoft hot fix patch for XP SP2. 2. Could not complete a full format. After 24 hours it was still hanged in the 77%. Tried everything from USB, Firmware, safe mode, disabling all other applications and using a different systems with no success.

[norcalruss]

Guys, I got this post on WaPo about this phony who goes by the name BuffaloJim who you may have encountered:

MacTHEknite wrote

EVERYONE!!!!! I've identified the following pseudonyms for the same WaPo blogger: BuffaloJim57, BuftaloJim57, helix5, acquisano, everyman1776, adrienne_najjar, Kase, afraidofme, WmJLePetomane, jvandeswaluw (the "dutch" guy who calls himself "joop,"), binkynh and 1humanity. There are several other "suspects," and he may be blogging on WaPo with up to 30 or 40 other names. You'll note that he's created a number of caricatures to start crude arguments on the WaPo blogs, and make himself look much smarter than me. It's very unfortunate because it casts doubt upon the sincerity of many honest bloggers. No one else but me was able to detect this. PLEASE people keep your eyes OPEN!!!!! OK!!!!!
I will be rounding up more suspects for you all soon!