Kabul, Afghanistan – All 16 U.S. troops who were aboard a
helicopter downed in Afghanistan were killed, military officials
said today.
“At this point, we have recovered all 16 bodies of those
service men who were onboard the MH-47 helicopter that crashed on
Tuesday,” Lt. Gen. James Conway, director of operations for the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon.
The military had initially said 17 U.S. service members were
aboard the helicopter.
Officials have said they believe militants shot down the
helicopter as it was bringing in reinforcements for a battle with
suspected al-Qaida fighters in a rugged ravine in Afghanistan’s
eastern Kunar province.
The loss of the helicopter follows three months of unprecedented fighting that has killed about 465 suspected insurgents, 43 Afghan police and soldiers, 125 civilians, and 29 U.S. troops. Afghan and American officials have predicted the situation will deteriorate before legislative elections are held in September.
The Taliban have stepped up attacks, and there are disturbing signs that foreign fighters – including some linked to al-Qaeda – might be making a new push to sow mayhem. Afghan officials say the fighters have used the porous border with Pakistan to enter the country, and officials have called on the Pakistani government do more to stop them.
The crash was the second of a Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan this year. On April 6, 15 U.S. service members and three American civilians were killed when their chopper went down in a sandstorm while returning to the main U.S. base at Bagram.
