because seals have a habit of writing books once they retire. It's unclear how far away the helicopter was from the initial firefight when it went down and unclear how the troops in the firefight got to the crash location, the official said. But it's often foreign to those who observe combat from afar. He was too busy. 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. There was a lot of experience in that cockpit, the flight engineers and the door gunners. Planners selected a landing zone that had never been used before. Since the agencys main task is to eavesdrop on phone and Internet messages, it may have recorded communications related to the attack. 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. 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 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. The Taliban, of course, has taken credit, saying it shot down the helo during a special forces raid on a home. 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. Asked for comment, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. James Gregory said: "We share in the grief of all of the families who lost their loved ones. Rowan Scarborough can be reached at rscarborough@washingtontimes.com. International reactions to bin Ladens death ranged from favorable to mixed. He knew the pilots and crew members aboard Extortion 17. They stayed fixed on enemy squirters, or runners, until just a few minutes before landing. Some congressional lawmakers demonstrated their support for the group, including former Florida Republican Rep. Allan West -- an Iraq war vet -- and Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. If this [operation] was survivable, that was the right crew to have. The Joint Combat Assessment Team report identified, through detailed metallurgical analysis, the type of projectile that blew Extortion 17 out of the sky: an antipersonnel unguided ballistic rocket propelled grenade. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The crash sent shock waves throughout U.S. special operations. It's certainly possible. In addition to the 30 Americans, the official said there were seven Afghan army soldiers and an interpreter on the helicopter. 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. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. ", Ed Darack's The Final Mission of Extortion 17, published by Smithsonian Books, will be available on September 19. They fail to mention it was Saudis who orchestrated 9/11, yet he elected to go after Iraq and Afghanistan. Its like taking a paper towel roll, cutting it in half and strapping it to your eye, Lee said. At that time, this marked deadliest moment in the war in Afghanistan. The last worst one-day U.S. casuality record in Afghanistan was on June 28, 2005 when 16 U.S. soldiers were killed in Kunar province after a helicopter was shot down by Taliban insurgents. On this night, Aug. 6, 2011, something went terribly wrong. Every mission is potentially life-threatening. Market data provided by Factset. 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. But why? 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. The World is a public radio program that crosses borders and time zones to bring home the stories that matter. We had guys who had flown in Desert Storm, guys who had just come off active duty, Lee said. Still, the one the president retweeted earlier this week may have been the weirdest yet. President Trump has also claimed, including in the first presidential debate, that Biden opposed the raid that took out Bin Laden. Still, SEAL Team Sixs bold raid to take down bin Laden was an extraordinary operation that most experts regard as a resounding success. The hearing as it took place was meant to honor the heroes of Extortion 17 instead of to answer our questions, Mr. And needless to say, it was the real Bin Laden who was killed, not an incredible facsimile. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Neither did the risk he and his pilots faced every night. He was probably in the top 1 percent of Army aviators, Lee said. RETWEET!, The president went on to follow that last command, although the Oscar the Midnight Rider account has since been suspended by Twitter. Three of the . All rights reserved. "Sometimes the enemy just gets that terribly lucky shot. 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. One of the best crews in my company. PRX is a 501(c)(3) organization recognized by the IRS: #263347402. He has written about soldiers returning home from war and the mental health crisis facing young people. In combat, its mission is to transport large teams of elite assault troops, including Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, to and from the battlefield. Military officers interviewed by investigators said they could not recall an IRF ever being sent for such a mission. The team was responding to an Army Ranger unit that was engaged in a protracted firefight with Taliban fighters and needed reinforcements. "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. In fact, Chinooks are better protected from newer, more sophisticated threats than from older, more crude ones. This incident could be a sign of things to come: The crash happened in Tanji, where the U.S. closed a combat outpost in April. 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. The guy was incredibly skilled.. 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. There was no conspiracy. No family members were allowed to testify. Get everything off your social media. For the last two years, hes been an attorney with the law firm Jackson Walker. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. September-11-pentagon-attack-survivors-evacuation. As for himself, he speaks out about Extortion 17 because he wants to remember the men on that mission. The night before he left to go to Fort Hood, where he would board a plane to Afghanistan, the biggest event of the 10-year war occurred: Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan during a raid by Navy SEALs. But Chinooks are at their most vulnerable while hovering in place during raids like the one this team is thought to have been conducting. August 6, 2011 / 6:08 PM / CBS Boston KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A military helicopter was shot down in eastern Afghanistan, killing 31 U.S. special operation troops, most of them from the. The next night, the pair had orders to drop off more troops in the same spot. And Justice unilaterally set a new deadline for the release and then ignored it, Mr. Klayman said. I had to learn how to land while browned-out, wearing NVGs, on the side of a mountain or an uneven field, Lee said. 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. 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., The New York Times reports. But why? But no one died. 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. 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. We were told at that time we were the first unit to make it through a rotation without having anyone killed.. Additional forces were then sent to secure the crash site. The Obama administration is violating a judges order to turn over documents in the Aug. 6, 2011, shootdown of a U.S. helicopter call sign Extortion 17 that killed members of SEAL Team 6 in Afghanistan, a watchdog group is charging. Whether enemy fire brought down the Chinook or a tree strike would never be known for sure. Helicopter raids are dangerous and unpredictable. 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. 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. The chopper's manifest. They happened to be in the right place at the right time. Retired Army Lt. Gen. William Boykin, who served as deputy undersecretary of defense for Intelligence and was a commander in the Army's super-secret "Delta Force," denounced politicized rules of engagement as a "deliberate plot" within the American armed forces that he says puts political correctness above the safety of the troops. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., he remains obsessively curious about Texans and the Lone Star State culture. Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, BroadStreet Review and Splice Today. And the shooters had no reason to know that Extortion 17 or any other helicopter would be flying through their quiet extremity of the valley. Aerial view of Osama bin Laden's compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, made by the CIA. Trump, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, announced a slate of futuristic new policies in a campaign video Friday. 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. Justin Buddy Lee will never forget that night six years ago. It means being informed. In 2006, he was called into Afghanistan, where he turned 25. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! President Trump has been known, over the years, to tweet some bizarre things. Lee remained in Afghanistan flying combat missions for another eight months before returning home in the spring of 2012. The parents of three SEALs. Extortion 17: Directed by Franois Garcia. 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. Enterprise writer at The Dallas Morning News. Its one reason Twitter has put in place safeguards encouraging users to read links before retweeting them. That same day he obtained a medical waiver he needed to pursue an Army commission -- to serve an eight-year hitch before going to law school. Theyre going after [enemy fighters] in very hostile environments, who know the terrain very well, who know the battlescape very well, Darack said. The landing zone was small, and the commanders didnt want to split up the strike force. 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. the seal team 6 crash is just tying up loose ends for their crimes. But why? Oops, this content can't be loadedbecause you're having connectivity problems, Stay always informed and up to date with our breaking news alerts, - The Washington Times - Wednesday, August 5, 2015. Patrick Hamburger, served among the helicopter's crew. A volley of three rockets total sped toward the general direction of the approaching Chinook, all launched within a few seconds of each other. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 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.. Many military experts at the time, including some of Obamas top military advisers, had questioned the White Houses public praise of SEAL Team 6 and said it put members in danger. As they started their descent, Lee heard a loud popping noise. I would say that was the first time that we really had eyes on the LZ.. Some of the most highly trained and skilled war fighters in history, the Rangers moved overland to a location where intelligence indicated Lefty Grove and his small cadre of fighters would be holding a meeting. His father Billy Vaughn recounted Thursday a phone call from his son following the White House decision to credit the highly secretive military unit for the bin Laden raid. Telling stories about ordinary people involved in extraordinary events is his passion. Two investigations of the incident proved inconclusive. 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. 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.". 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. On board were 22 Navy SEALs, rushing to support troops in firefight. 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. A collection of moments during and after Barack Obama's presidency. Aaron Vaughn's mother, Karen, also demanded an explanation for why her son and his team were not using a special operations aircraft, such as the Chinooks flown by special operations pilots, which have specialized defenses designed to fly commandos deep behind enemy lines. Special forces routinely use helicopters in raids on homes in Afghanistan. President Trump has been known, over the years, to tweet some bizarre things. 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. "We've allowed politics to become more important than the lives and safety of those men and women," he says. The team was responding to an Army Ranger unit that was engaged in a firefight with the Taliban and needed backup. The incident comes just months after DevGru's raid that killed Osama bin Laden. It was an auspicious day for the two enemy fighters. Then they have to stick the landing. 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. 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. As they made their approach, there was a line of thunderstorms nearby. "In releasing their identity, they put a target on their backs," said Doug Hamburger, whose son, Army Staff Sgt.