11th Aug 11
Taliban who gunned down Chinook helicopter killed
by Harry Oldfield
Revenge: Taliban responsible for biggest US Afghan loss killed
Revenge: Taliban responsible for biggest US Afghan loss killed
An air strike by US forces has killed the Taliban militants thought to have been responsible for shooting a Chinook helicopter down, killing 38 US and Afghan troops, said the top commander in Afghanistan.
Marine Corps General John Allen informed a Pentagon news conference that when forces learned the location of the insurgents they tracked them down and killed them during an F-16 air strike on Monday morning.
A separate statement from the country said that Taliban leader Mullah Mohibullah and the insurgent who launched the rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) which downed the Chinook helicopter were both killed in the strike. It said that both men were trying to flee Afghanistan.
Thirty US troops – the majority of whom were elite navy Seals – died in the crash, the deadliest incident for US troops to date in the Afghan war. The other eight who perished were Afghan troops. President Barack Obama travelled to Dover Air Force Base on Tuesday to be present when the remains of those killed touched down. A military investigation has been launched into the incident.
The helicopter was shot down while trying to help a team of troops caught up in a firefight. They had been attempting an operation to capture a senior Taliban leader located in the Tangi valley who had carried out a number of attacks, including planting roadside bombs. Allen said that the Taliban leader they had been pursuing during the operation remained at large.
The general backed the decision to deploy the elite team, explaining that at the time it was deemed necessary to go after “elements which were escaping” from a continuing operation to target the main Taliban leader. Allen informed Pentagon reporters via video-conference from Kabul that they committed a force in order to contain that element from escaping, and in that process the Chinook was hit by an RPG.
He went on to explain that over the last year that they have run over 2,000 of these night operations, and this is the only time this has occurred. He added that the fact that this aircraft was lost will have no influence on the decision as to whether to use this aircraft again in the future.
While officials are of the opinion that the helicopter was downed by an RPG, Allen stated that the military’s investigation of the crash will review also whether small-arms fire or other causes could have contributed to the crash. Although he said that the subsequent air strike killed those responsible, the Taliban have challenged this.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, informed Reuters from an undisclosed location that the person who downed the Chinook is alive and in another province fighting against foreign forces.
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