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. It was a hard landing, but it would have been worse if they had landed tail first. The Chinook had no Apache escort, as did the Ranger team that enjoyed the element of surprise when it touched down hours earlier. The Associated Press contributed to this report. He knew the pilots and crew members aboard Extortion 17. "Their deaths are a reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by the men and women of our military and their families, including all who have served in Afghanistan," Obama said in a statement. 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. Landing in deserts or mountainsides, the helicopter rotors kick up clouds of sand and dust, causing brownouts that can blind a pilot. The extreme G-forces killed everyone on board within a fraction of a second, Darack said. They believe SEAL Team 6 had a target on its back and that persons inside the Afghan National Security Forces may have tipped off the Taliban that night in Tangi Valley. Click here for reprint permission. 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. We were told at that time we were the first unit to make it through a rotation without having anyone killed.. The insurgents had no way of knowing the helicopter would be coming in, at the speed it was coming and at the altitude, Darack said. Just as ridiculous as saying [President George W.] Bush was responsible for 9/11, Lee said. 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. That night, nearly 10 years after the U.S. had gone to war in Afghanistan, Lee believed they were the best team for this dangerous mission. Ultimately, bin Laden was found and killed within nine minutes, and SEAL Team Six was credited with carrying out a nearly flawless mission. On such missions, the Chinook pilots nearly always fly at night, wearing night vision goggles, or NVGs. 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. What the men on the Chinook didn't know was that cloaked by darkness, two fighters had emerged from the small village of Hasan Khel, on the south side of the valley. 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 . The loss of a Chinook helicopter carrying members of Navy SEAL Team Six made yesterday the deadliest single day in the entire Afghan War for the U.S., 3 Questions About the SEAL Team Six Crash, Russian Cargo Plane Explodes During Pressure Test, better protected from newer, more sophisticated threats, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. A typical combat mission in Afghanistan leaves little margin for error, requiring Chinook pilots to land on tiny, makeshift sites on mountain slopes where any tree, bush or rock could be hiding an enemy fighter with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Get everything off your social media. Market data provided by Factset. 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. Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved, the 2011 raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. Lee had just flown the night before on a similar mission with one of the pilots, David Carter. Back in May, the families of the SEALs went public with concerns that the Obama administration was at least partially responsible for the deaths [] How SEAL Team 6 . One source says the team was thought to include 22 SEALs, three Air Force air controllers, seven Afghan Army troops, a dog and handler, and a civilian interpreter, plus the helicopter crew. But one thing that doesnt fade is never forgetting what they did.. Still, the one the president retweeted earlier this week may have been the weirdest yet. Trump, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, announced a slate of futuristic new policies in a campaign video Friday. Not all will end as well as bin Laden's takedown, as PM noted in July. The immediate reaction force (IRF) was assembled hastily for insertion into Tangi Valley to help Army Rangers capture fleeing Taliban. Legal Statement. While the goggles are better than nothing, they turn everything green, distort depth perception and limit peripheral vision. .css-v1xtj3{display:block;font-family:FreightSansW01,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:100;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-v1xtj3:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.1387rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-v1xtj3{line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.18581rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.5rem;margin-top:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.2;margin-top:0.9375rem;}}Russian Cargo Plane Explodes During Pressure Test, Air Force's IRON Wireless Network Protects Nukes, Watch Opposition Group Land Drone on Russian Jet, Pentagon's Mysterious Aircraft Won't Need a Runway, The Secret War to Take out Iran's F-14 Fighters, Meet the E-7 Wedgetail, the Air Forces New Plane, Report: Pilot Error Ruined a $112 Million F-35 Jet, Air Force Grounds Jets: Their Tails May Fall Off, The Messy Battle to Build the F-35's Next Engine, Russia Dredges Up Ancient BTR-50 Vehicles. September-11-pentagon-attack-survivors-evacuation. She also said the team was hindered by rules of engagement that prohibited their firing on potential targets unless they could see a weapon. These helicopters have been well protected from long-range missile attacks for years, but still have few defenses against a simple RPG fired at short range while the Chinook hovers in place. The military's public contradictions raise more questions than answers. Fallen Angel.. Still, SEAL Team Sixs bold raid to take down bin Laden was an extraordinary operation that most experts regard as a resounding success. The second probe, led by Army Brigadier General Jeffrey Colt, explained in excruciating detail what all those familiar with military operations and helicopter aviation in Afghanistan already knew: chance and chance alone, took down Extortion 17. I thought I hit a tree,he said. The hardest LZ Id ever been into, Lee said. He grew up in Tyler, went to Texas A&M, joined the Corps of Cadets and stared in shock at the news thattwo planes slammed into the World Trade Center and another into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond. The military's public c Read allOn 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. Strange also blamed top military brass for sending the troops into a situation they were allegedly ill-equipped and unprepared to handle. They knew. In fact, Chinooks are better protected from newer, more sophisticated threats than from older, more crude ones. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Three months after bin Ladens death, members of the SEAL Team 6 force -- though apparently not the same ones who carried out the bin Laden raid -- were on board the CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter, along with its Army National Guard aircrew, several support personnel and seven Afghan commandos. Ten computer hard drives, five computers and more than 100 storage devices were retrieved. Aug. 7, 2011 -- American communities are mourning the loss of 30 U.S. troops who were killed when Afghan insurgents shot down a helicopter carrying the most elite forces in the US military -- Navy . The Associated Press is reporting that a rocket attack took down the Chinook (probably a MH-47) , quoting an unnamed source in Washington D.C., but this has yet to be confirmed officially. But over time, they became more disturbing, including one that suggested the Taliban had been tipped off by someone inside the Afghan government as revenge for bin Ladens killing. One of the best crews in my company. Extortion 17: Directed by Franois Garcia. Aug. 6, 2011— -- A helicopter was shot down today by Afghan insurgents as it was rushing to aid troops in a firefight, killing 30 Americans, including 22 Navy SEALs, most of whom belonged to Team 6, the unit whose members were involved in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, U.S. officials said. The navigator on the AC-130 gunship said there was simply too much gun and engine noise to think that the Chinook could make an undetected entrance. EXPLOSIVE: CIA Whistleblower Exposes Bidens Alleged Role With the Deaths of Seal Team- Claims to have Documented Proof. Nothing tests the capabilities of a young helicopter pilot like flying in the extreme conditions of Afghanistan. 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. The RPG that struck Extortion 17 threw the helicopter into an uncontrollable spin. They are also pretty tough; the only comparable loss to this one was a Chinook shot down in 2005. He taught helicopter pilots how to fly in high altitudes at an aviation training site in Colorado. But no one died. 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. However, a shoot down does not necessarily mean insurgents have changed their tactics or hardware. With Robert O'Neill, Patricia Economo, Enrique Garcia, James Obrien. Some news stories reported that investigators couldnt find the helicopters black box, referring to the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. In combat, its mission is to transport large teams of elite assault troops, including Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, to and from the battlefield. Some of those Seals were members of Seal Team 6 that took part in the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, the AP reported today; although they were not actual participants in the Pakistan raid, according to the New York Times. 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. The Pentagons witness stuck to a theme that no mistakes were made that night, though the investigative file contained testimony from a number of witnesses saying the mission was riddled with missteps. The U.S. military claimed that the Chinook was blown to pieces by a shoulder-fired missile, in which everyone on board was burned beyond recognition. At this difficult hour, all Americans are united in support of our men and women in uniform who serve so that we can live in freedom and security.". Navy SEALs. The missions commanders decided to insert another team to go after Tahir while the Rangers held the compound. because seals have a habit of writing books once they retire. "In releasing their identity, they put a target on their backs," said Doug Hamburger, whose son, Army Staff Sgt. The crash killed 38 people, including 15 Navy SEALs. But why? Mills, a 13-year veteran of the military . The entire operation, which lasted only 40 minutes from start to finish, was the culmination of years of calculated planning and training. Charlie Strange, whose Navy cryptologist son, Michael, was on Extortion 17, told The Times last year that it was too much of a coincidence for Taliban to be standing so near the landing zone. It is not uncommon for commandos to fly some of their missions aboard such aircraft in the war zone, however. He finished his contract with the Army shortly afterward, and that September enrolled in Southern Methodist Universitys Dedman School of Law. File: A US Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter in flight. It alleges thatthe 2011 raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, which took place when Biden was vice president, did not actually kill the al-Qaeda leader, but rather a body double, and that Iran had been part of the conspiracy as well. Led by firebrand Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), Congress is to launch an official investigation into the mysterious helicopter crash that killed several members of the Navy SEAL team 6 in Afghanistan in 2011. So the whole team went in one Chinook helicopter -- Extortion 17. So, to do an infil on the X or Y, you know, having that element of surprise in the beginning of an operation is good, but by the time weve been there for three hours, and the partys up, bringing in another aircraft like that, you know, may not be the most tactically sound decision.. JSOC and aviation commanders, prepared for virtually any outcome, quickly formulated a plan: they would send a team on one helicopter to bolster the Ranger-led force. The Benghazi attack in 2012 plays a part in some other versions of the tale. About a dozen of the 33 troops in the back of the helicopter suffered broken bones, heavy bruises and scrapes. The conspiracy theories didnt bother Lee at first. There were guys in a tower. Mr. Klayman said the NSA has agreed to provide some information. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. 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. Conspiracy theories over the years have alleged that President Barack Obama and presumably then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and now Joe Biden had somehow been responsible for the attack, supposedly in order to silence the Seals for something having to do with the Bin Laden raid three months earlier. The first grenade missed Extortion 17. U.S. Somebody tipped them off. The operation to kill the world's most wanted terrorist was the result of years of planning and training. Your life is in danger. See GlobalPost: Navy SEALs had "kill" order on Osama bin Laden, report claims. 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. Members of Navy SEAL Team Six formed the core of the IRF, with other American special operations personnel and highly-vetted Afghans playing integral roles. His unit called itself Extortion Company. One of his Chinooks, flying under the call sign Extortion 17 (one-seven), was tasked with the special operations mission the night of Aug. 6. [PHOTOS:Fighting in Afghanistan Continues]. In interviewing Buddy for background research for my book, The Final Mission of Extortion 17, which chronicles the people, events, and circumstances of the downing of Extortion 17, I realized that this tragedy illustrates Buddy's words more convincingly perhaps than any other incident. The loss of a helicopter carrying more than 20 U.S. special forces and as many as 8 other U.S. military service members is an unprecedented one in this war. The Taliban silenced him. In all, 38 people died that night after the chopper was shot down by a Taliban-owned rocket-propelled grenade or RPG over the Wardak Province on Aug. 6, 2011. Photo: AP, Thousands of passengers are stranded after Colombias Viva Air grounds flights, The last of Mexicos artisanal salt-makers preserve a 2,000-year-old tradition, I cannot give up: Cambodian rapper says he will sing about injustice despite threats from govt, Ukrainian rock star reflects on a year of war in his country, Ukrainian refugees in Poland will now be charged to stay in state-funded housing, This Colombian town is dimming its lights to attract more tourists to view the night sky, Kneel and apologize!: 76 years after island-wide massacre, Taiwan continues to commemorate and debate the tragedy. Extortion 17 then plummeted to the ground and erupted in a massive fireball. Missions like this one to insert or remove an assault force are the military equivalent of a perfect 10 in the Olympics -- equal parts skill, experience and daring. The route had been carefully planned, and gunships maintained continuous watch over the intended landing zone during Extortion 17's approach. Just after entering the Tangi, as Extortion 17 continued to descend and decelerate toward its landing zone, the helicopter passed through the narrowest portion of the valley. The "had Seal team 6 killed" is a likely reference to what's known as the "Extortion 17" incident, the August 2011 tragedy in which a Chinook military helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan,. Special forces routinely use helicopters in raids on homes in Afghanistan. By The Newsroom 6th Aug 2011, 6:30pm Flying low, the pilots have to maneuver a machine weighing up to 50,000 pounds over mountains, under cover of darkness, in swirling wind and dust, wearing night vision goggles. Is Russias Only Aircraft Carrier Cursed? The workhorse in Army aviation, the tandem rotor, heavy-lift Chinook helicopter is used for carrying troops, equipment, supplies and even the mail. But why? I would say that on the three-minute call is when Gun 2 started looking at the LZ, giving an LZ brief op. Some Arab countries and leaders condemned the actions of the United States. We also mourn the Afghans who died alongside our troops in pursuit of a more peaceful and hopeful future for their country. Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. The helicopter was shot down by insurgents in August 2011; many of those killed were part of the same Navy SEAL Team 6 unit that carried out the raid on Usama bin Laden's compound three months . "Sometimes the enemy just gets that terribly lucky shot. 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Just last week the Afghans arrested an Army officer for aiding Taliban suicide bombers through checkpoints, and doing so under employ by Pakistan. A number of the DEVGRU SEALs were devastated by this loss . The incident comes just months after DevGru's raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Family members question SEAL Team 6's most deadly incident. Finally Sells Japan Tomahawk Missiles. Two investigations of the incident proved inconclusive. During the event organized by a group called Freedom Watch, family members and former military personnel claimed President Obama turned the SEALs group into a Taliban target after the administration revealed they had conducted the bin Laden raid. When asked what lessons Americans can draw from the crash of Extortion 17, Lees answer is simple: Americans should care about what happens in Afghanistan because theyve sent Americans to war there. or redistributed. Since the agencys main task is to eavesdrop on phone and Internet messages, it may have recorded communications related to the attack. On his right wrist, he wears a bracelet with the names of the five crew members of Extortion 17. On July 25, a Chinook was hit by a rocket propelled grenade fired by the Taliban. The families accept the fact that a single shot brought down the helicopter. 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. Several Afghans were on board and were killed, but trust is in short supply in Afghanistan. Around 2:40 a.m., an Apache pilot flying in support came on the radio and shouted: Fallen Angel. Chance, however, a component of war intimately understood by war fighters, can never be completely mitigated. Justin Buddy Lee will never forget that night six years ago. Special forces are very selective on who they partner with, but any collaboration with Afghans opens up U.S. they won't view it as wrong, just a "necessary" sacrifice for your country. In that incident, 16 Navy SEALs and Army special operations troops were killed when their craft was shot down while on a mission to rescue four SEALs under attack by the Taliban. The alleged hit on SEAL Team 6 is a reference to the downing of a Chinook transport helicopter by insurgents a few months after the bin Laden raid. Planners had created an absolutely sound mission. Almost 10 years after 9/11, here's what led to the death of Osama bin Laden. There's always the chance that Iran, which has them, or Pakistan, which conceivably could have bought some on the black market, supplied them to the Taliban. This is all, needless to say, completely unsubstantiated if not outright false. 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. The resulting crash killed all 38 people on board including 17 US Navy SEALs, two United States Air Force Pararescue, one United States Air Force Combat Control Team member, one pilot and two crewmen of the United States Army Reserve, one pilot and one crewman of the United States Army National Guard, seven members of the Afghan National Security Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 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. I find it very irritating that we will not question the Afghans about their knowledge of what took place that night.. This crash is incredibly demoralizing. But the Team Six connection makes it a major symbolic victory for them. 4:05 p.m. - The first helicopter exits the compound. Apparently, someone tipped them off that the SEALs were coming; the helicopter was attacked from three sides in a coordinated ambush. He would eventually do two tours and become commander of a Chinook unit during his second deployment in 2011. 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. The chopper's manifest. The fighting lasted at least two hours, he said, the New York Times reported. And to this day, people are still debating what really happened. That left it to .css-3wjtm9{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.125rem;text-decoration-color:#1c6a65;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-3wjtm9:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Navy SEALs to undertake a dangerous raid in a notorious insurgent area to stem the Taliban's advance. President Obama offered his thoughts and prayers to those killed in the crash. Lees wife, Christy, hoped the news would bring a sudden end to the war. In the immediate wake of the tragedy, the military initiated two investigations. There was a lot of experience in that cockpit, the flight engineers and the door gunners. But the CH-47D has neither a flight nor voice recorder, only an engine performance data. 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. Military officials told her operating outside of these rules "damages our efforts to win the hearts and minds of our enemies. A Marine speaks into a radio and troops unload a CH-47D Chinook in Afghanistan's Kunar Province. The investigation of events surrounding the crash of a C H-47D Chinook , call sign Extortion 17, took military command officials just two months to complete. Their target was a Taliban commander responsible for ambushes and other attacks against U.S. and Afghan forces. They heard a helicopter coming, they grabbed their RPGs, and they fired in quick succession, Darack said. Its almost always a miss.. 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. Olson himself a former Team 6 leader recalled at his change of command ceremony the men who lost their lives in Saturday's helicopter crash in Afghanistan. "Their deaths are a reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by the men and women of our military and their families, including all who have served in Afghanistan,'' President Obama said Saturday. They then repeated and emphasized a few related questions: How could this happen? The crash sent shock waves throughout U.S. special operations. There was no conspiracy. Hamburger said. Our families are in danger,' " Vaughn recalled. 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. On board were 22 members of the elite Seal Team Six, two U.S. Air Force Para-rescue men, three Army reserve personnel, a U.S. Air Force Combat Controller, the pilot and co-pilot, a U.S . If this [operation] was survivable, that was the right crew to have. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. 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. The families of these deceased heroes have been stonewalled by the Obama Department of Defense and the Obama National Security Agency in disrespect over their sons unexplained tragic deaths. But this might just take the cake. The terrorist leader was not only a major player within al-Qaeda but also a figurehead that attracted supporters and recruits from around the world. At that time, this marked deadliest moment in the war in Afghanistan. Every mission is potentially life-threatening. The World is a public radio program that crosses borders and time zones to bring home the stories that matter. The assassination of Osama bin Laden was a significant victory for the U.S. government and the American people at large. But special forces don't get such a cushion: Because they can react more quickly, they undertake more dangerous missions; their risk tolerance is much, much higher. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, When they arrived at the compound, however, the strike force couldn't locate Tahir, and some of his fighters dispersed. 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 seal team 6 crash is just tying up loose ends for their crimes. He probably doesnt. An official report was released in October 2011 but family members say it did little to fill in the details and left more questions than answers. President Trump has been known, over the years, to tweet some bizarre things.