All rights reserved. It's certainly possible. During a press conference on Washington Thursday, family and advocates for the fallen troops called into question the rules of engagement that they say prohibited their sons from being able to return fire, and the White House's decision to announce shortly after the killing of Osama bin Laden that SEAL Team 6 was responsible for the raid. The missions commanders decided to insert another team to go after Tahir while the Rangers held the compound. Back in May, the families of the SEALs went public with concerns that the Obama administration was at least partially responsible for the deaths [] . The fighting lasted at least two hours, he said, the New York Times reported. Justin Buddy Lee will never forget that night six years ago. Stephen M. Mills, 35, of Fort Worth, was one of the U.S. Navy SEALS killed in the helicopter crash. The operators from SEAL Team Six were flown by a crew of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the same regiment that flew the bin Laden raid. They are also pretty tough; the only comparable loss to this one was a Chinook shot down in 2005. These materials provided much-needed intelligence about bin Ladens role within al-Qaeda and the organizations inner-workings. But it's just as plausible that the Taliban got lucky. Lees wife, Christy, hoped the news would bring a sudden end to the war. Its lawyers have told the judge that the process of locating relevant documents and removing classified information takes time. But why? Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. He spoke out against banning girls education. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Hours earlier, pilots Carter and Nichols and crewmembers Specialist Spencer Duncan, Sergeant Pat Hamburger, and Sergeant Alex Bennett, along with pilots and crew of a sister Chinook, Extortion 16, inserted a strike force in the central Tangi Valley. That June, the U.S. military launched Operation Hammer Down to drive out insurgents entrenched in remote strongholds of eastern Afghanistan. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. A CH-47D Chinook helicopter (the same model as Extortion 17) speeds through the Sierra Nevada Mountains at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, near Bridgeport, California, during mountain warfare training exercises. President Obama offered his thoughts and prayers to those killed in the crash. U.S. Finally Sells Japan Tomahawk Missiles. ", While not commenting directly on the allegations, he called those who were lost "warriors" who represented "the diversity and talent of America and its military.". Soon after US Navy Cryptologist Michael Strange and the elite SEAL Team 6 capture and kill Bin Laden, they are deployed to Afghanistan, where their Chinook is shot down. Youve got [Apaches] flying around, so theres a lot of noise going on and, basically, this entire valley knows that theres something happening in this area. An Afghan official, speaking anonymously a few days after the attack, speculated that the Taliban had laid a trap, that they had purposely put out false information about a meeting involving the Taliban commander. Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved, the 2011 raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. He would not have hesitated to fly with any of them. Every mission is potentially life-threatening. The crash sent shock waves throughout U.S. special operations. Extortion 17, Seal Team Six and What Really Happened on the Deadliest How SEAL Team 6 . 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. Everyone on board died within a fraction of a second30 Americans, eight Afghans and one American military working dog. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Lee heard the call, and he knew what it meant. The Costliest Day in SEAL Team Six History - HISTORY Not all U.S. presidents are missed once they leave the White House. 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. The helicopter crashed into a creek bed and a flash flood shortly afterward washed away some parts of the wreckage. And needless to say, it was the real Bin Laden who was killed, not an incredible facsimile. They dont even produce under their own self-imposed deadline, Mr. Klayman told The Washington Times. She had just given birth to their first child. 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.". Extortion 17's pilots and crew ranked among the very best military helicopter pilots in the world (Carter had amassed more than 4,000 hours of cockpit time), and the helicopter, a CH-47D, the fastest and one of the most powerful and nimble in the U.S. military, had been maintained to the highest standards. Victory Point: Operations Red Wings and Whalersthe Marine Corps' Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion, Navy SEAL's Savior Claims 'Lone Survivor' Got It Wrong. Is Russias Only Aircraft Carrier Cursed? Since the agencys main task is to eavesdrop on phone and Internet messages, it may have recorded communications related to the attack. Special forces are very selective on who they partner with, but any collaboration with Afghans opens up U.S. Navy SEALs. The force included seven Afghan soldiers and an Afghan interpreter. Misinformation regarding the skills of the pilots and crew, and nonsensical conspiracy theoriesoften politically motivatedfollowed, much of which unfortunately continues to this day. 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. In the rear of the aircraft, the Chinook's passengers stood and prepared to storm out into moonless night once the wheels touched the ground. One by one, fathers and mothers of the victims of the crash spoke about what they see as gaping holes or inconsistencies in the review of what U.S. Special Operations considers its most deadly incident. It wasnt preventable. Seven Afghan commandos were also reportedly killed. Doug Hamburger, whose son Patrick was killed, called the incident an ambush that could have been prevented. All Rights Reserved. So the whole team went in one Chinook helicopter -- Extortion 17. Ohio Republican Secretary of State 'actively' considering Senate run against Sherrod Brown, DeSantis family spends the afternoon at Houston Rodeo ahead of governor's speech, Marianne Williamson launches campaign against Biden, vows to fight 'forces of hatred, injustice and fear', Haley blasts both Democrats and fellow Republicans, including Trump, over exploding national debt. The more likely explanation seems to be that the president, like a lot of us, tweets without thinking, especially if the subject matter is something that praises him or denigrates his political opponents. Throughout, he said, Justice lawyers have refused to take his phone calls. 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. My life is in danger. The first grenade missed Extortion 17. Strange also blamed top military brass for sending the troops into a situation they were allegedly ill-equipped and unprepared to handle. Men he knew. When the shock subsided, questions arose and persisted. The Justice Department said at least 50 documents in the Pentagon have been identified as relevant, but only one has been turned over. The shootdown was the single, deadliest loss of U.S. forces in the war. Chance, however, a component of war intimately understood by war fighters, can never be completely mitigated. Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond. Fallen Angel: Call Sign - Extortion 17: Directed by Karl Horstmann, Stephen Spivey. 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. They then repeated and emphasized a few related questions: How could this happen? All rights reserved. Although the Taliban have claimed to have shot the helicopter down, U.S. officials have only identified the attackers as insurgents. The Rangers were not in need of rescue. The next day, a DNA test confirmed that the body was indeed that of Osama bin Laden. 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. The family members, speaking at the National Press Club, tried to reopen the book on the crash, in which 30 Americans were killed, most of them belonging to the same unit as those who carried out the raid on Usama bin Laden earlier that year. But what if it was a more advanced missile? There was no conspiracy. SEAL Team Six Helicopter Crash: Let's Debunk a Myth. 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. The entire operation, which lasted only 40 minutes from start to finish, was the culmination of years of calculated planning and training. U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon in February signed an order requiring the Obama administration to release documents on a continual basis through the spring and summer. EXTORTION 17 COVER-UP OF SEAL TEAM SIX SHOOT-DOWN | BWCentral That is why, they say, a fighter just happened to be stationed in a turret within 150 yards of a landing zone that had never been used before. SEAL TEAM SIX - EXTORTION 17 COVER UP theunitedwest 15.8K subscribers Subscribe 683 53K views Streamed 7 years ago WOW, watch author Don Brown blow the lid off of the official government report. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Donald Trump Retweeted A Conspiracy Theory that Biden Had Seal Team 6 President Trump has been known, over the years, to tweet some bizarre things. The operation to kill the world's most wanted terrorist was the result of years of planning and training. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. This story has been corrected to reflect that only some of the families of the fallen SEALs say their loved ones were deliberately endangered.
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