Helicopter Downed in Afghanistan, Six US Marines Killed
Second Helicopter Crash This Week
by Jason Ditz,
January 19, 2012
NATO officials say that six of their soldiers were killed today in southern Afghanistan when a helicopter was downed in Helmand. The soldiers were later revealed to be US Marines. There was no indication of any of enemies in the area and the cause of the crash was unknown, NATO said.
A Taliban spokesman claimed credit, saying they had shot down the helicopter. US officials deny that this is the case.
It is the second NATO helicopter lost this week; another was downed in Helmand Province. The Taliban claimed credit for that one as well, though NATO declined to confirm this and Afghan officials speculated it was “technical problems.”
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Bill the Butcher
January 19th, 2012 at 9:19 pm
Another six bite the dust
"nother six bite the dust
'nother chopper down, 'nother chopper down
'nother six bite the dust.
The hajis are gonna get you too
And you'll bite the dust.
dapperdan
January 20th, 2012 at 5:34 am
The reason for helicopter downings is always blamed on weather, mechanical or some other lie..never is it admitted that it was shot down unless many witness's actually see the event..This lie goes all the way back to the vietnam war..
dapperdan
January 20th, 2012 at 5:36 am
The " no enemy in the area" story is laughable and yet repeated over and over again…
SammyE
January 20th, 2012 at 9:01 am
Just out: All KIA were 6 US marines.
Nelson_2008
January 20th, 2012 at 1:34 pm
Maybe some effective shoulder-fired AA weapons finally found their way to Afghanistan…possibly blowback from the Empire's war against Libya or their covert war against Iran or their war on Africa or their war on one of the other multitudes of victims over the years.
Klyde
January 20th, 2012 at 1:55 pm
Whenever an emperial airship goes down a spokesperson is always quick to claim that it went down due to anything but enemy fire. I wonder if it makes the families of the dead feel better to know their loved one died because of mechanical failure.
Bruce Richardson
January 20th, 2012 at 2:15 pm
In the initual stages of the Cold War, the US supplied Soviet SA-7 Igla shoulder fired anti-aircraft systems obtained from battlefield pickups during the Arab-Israeli War, and later supplied them with FIM-92 Stinger systems. The SA-7s were unreliable due to expired batteries but the Stingers scored an enviable success rate against Soviet aircraft. Isn't it reasonable, therefore to expect that the Taliban would have residual inventory to deploy against the US/ISAF/NATO aircraft that are bombing and killing scores of Afghans around the country?
pendulum
January 20th, 2012 at 2:56 pm
yes indeed the Afghans have learned and are enjoying their newly taught skills, they say thanks NATO
Anti_Govt_Rebel
January 20th, 2012 at 6:05 pm
Those 6 signed up voluntarily. They took the risk. Now they're paying the consequences. Let that be a reminder to other young men who are tempted to succomb to the lure of "adventure", or "fighting for your country", and other such nonsense.
Ken
January 20th, 2012 at 6:17 pm
When do people wake up and decide not to be pawns and cannon fodder for corrupt, lying, thieving, murdering politicians?
thedissenter
January 20th, 2012 at 6:20 pm
Oh, well…sh*t does happen.
John_Muhammad
January 20th, 2012 at 7:15 pm
We never got a lot of television coverage of shot-up helicopters at the beginning of the Vietnam adventure, either- but they were being shot out of the sky every day.
Kind of sad that America isn't even allowed to see footage of the war as it is, instead of the sanitized Dancing With The Stars version we get spoon-fed to us. War is indeed hell, and it's not very romantic or pretty.
sam stone
January 20th, 2012 at 8:18 pm
Some good news at last, more of the same please