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Subscribe to RSSA U.S. Black Hawk helicopter with four crew members on board crashed in southwestern Afghanistan on Thursday.
A senior U.S. military official confirmed to NBC News that there was bad weather in the area at the time of the crash, but said that the possibility that enemy activity downed the helicopter could not be ruled out.
A senior source with the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul told NBC News that no confirmed reason for the crash was available.
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Other than the four crew members, no passengers were believed to be on board.
"We don't expect any survivors," the official told NBC News.
The Blackhawk was traveling with another helicopter at the time, though the second helicopter did not experience any problems.
A ferocious 18-hour Taliban attack on the Afghan capital ended when insurgents who had holed up in two buildings were overcome by heavy gunfire from Afghan-led forces and pre-dawn air assaults from U.S.-led coalition helicopters. ITN's Bill Neely reports.
Reuters, citing a U.S. defense official, said that the helicopter went down in the Regional Command-Southwest area, which includes the traditional Taliban stronghold of Helmand province.
Despite a resilient insurgency, the United States, like its NATO allies, plans to withdraw most of its combat troops from the country by the end of 2014.
Jim Miklaszewski is the chief Pentagon correspondent for NBC News; Courtney Kube is the Pentagon producer for NBC News. Reuters also contributed to this report.
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When will our leadership in DC get it through their heads!! We need to leave Afghanistan NOW! NOT by the end of 2014! Price of a Black Hawk helicopter? So what! Cost of operations of helicopter? So what! Cost of 4 American service men PRICELESS! ...
You cannot possibly just "press a button" and every troop is out NOW. It is practically impossible. The logistics of such a task take time, you cannot just spontaneously "pull out".
So Demetrious, should we get the US troops out of the US NOW also because a Navy FA-18 crashed into an apartment house a few weeks ago?
Bless the fallen... my thoughts go with them and their familys..... NOW END THIS WAR..... Ron Paul2012... Go delegate. No one does it. Your votes worth 10s of thousands. Many are in there already but a few more of you showing up will equal an overwhelming victory and our troops can come home on the 1st of Jan...... ALL OF THEM...... Yes you can.. walk right out... Bring them home... stop listening to some puppet media prompter reading idiot reporter... Only the ones profiting would say you cant just leave.. screw them.. JUST COME HOME... Lets bring all that money home and stimulate our country... not someone else's..RP2012
Exactly. Just GTFO.
@UseYourBrain. 90,000 US troops acting together, given the orders to move out, will do it quickly! What 'orders' do they have now? Help rebuild poor Afghanistan, train the enemy, and be friendly while some die over the next 2 years? BS!
@starbuck49. The Black Hawk crew was in a war zone, and has nothing to do with the incident you mentioned! Got your head screwed on backwards?
Was it shot down or did it just crash from pilot error or bad weather conditions?
Black Hawk Down! The Taliban has shot another US/NATO
helicopter out of the sky! More dead American cannon-fodder. More US blood shed
for naught. Stevie Nicks once sang,
“Ooh, did she make you cry, make you break down
Shatter your illusions of love?
And is it over now, do you know how?
Pick-up the pieces and go home
Well did she make you cry, make you break down
Shatter your illusions of love?
And now tell me, is it over now, do you know how?
Pick-up the pieces and go home, go home, go home…”
It is long past time to bring US troops home from
Afghanistan. By all accounts and purposes the war is over and the US/NATO
forces, like every imperialist invader before them have lost and suffered an
ignoble and humiliating defeat. Greatly outnumbered (150,000 to 20,000),
ridiculously out-gunned and out-financed at about a zillion dollars to one, the
Taliban still managed to wage a successful guerilla war against the armies of
the Crucifixers. This will go down in history as another great victory for heroic
Afghani warriors against an invading superpower. The US/NATO forces despite
their losing efforts want to leave Afghanistan with some semblance of dignity,
they want to save face and put on the façade that they are leaving on their own
volition rather than fleeing in a disgraceful retreat. But it is much better is
it not, to save lives rather than trying to save face? There is no need for anymore
Coalition of the Damned soldiers being killed or injured in Afghanistan. There is no need for anymore
Afghanis to be murdered by US/NATO forces. The war is over, US/NATO has lost,
everybody can go home and no more US taxpayer monies need be flushed down the
toilet that is Afghanistan, right? Wrong, the UNOCAL natural-gas pipelines must
be built. Also, Western need for Afghan minerals and avarice for Afghani opiate
drugs mean the US is going nowhere soon, despite the fact that the Iraq and Afghan wars have financially wrecked America.
Since 2001 Americans have forked over $1,375,000,000,000 of their hard-earned
tax dollars to fund the Bush/Obama neo-Crusader misadventures. Recent reports
state that the Taliban feel that they are on the verge of victory. It really
seems as if the Taliban are correct and are justified in believing they are
winning. Battlefield moral is a big issue in warfare. The Taliban Jihadists are
gladly fighting and happily dying as martyrs for a cause they truly believe in
(Islam). The Taliban are anxious for the fight, whereas each and every US
soldier is fearful of warfare and dreads waking-up in Afghanistan each morning.
Lastly, if the US had not created and continue to prop-up the fraudulent Afghan
government the Taliban would be in power today. So maybe the Taliban are
winning? But as long as the warmongering war-profiteers and their lobbyists
continue to line the pockets of US politicians and influence the media the
bloodletting and taxpayer spending will continue. It is time for the US/NATO
forces to beat a hasty retreat out of Afghanistan for their soldiers are
demoralized, deranged and defeated. The haunting refrain by Fleetwood Mac is
apropos, “And now tell me, is it over now, do you know how? Pick-up the
pieces and go home, go home, go home…”
Shut up!
I am still trying to understand if Iraq was unjust and not mandated by the people, what made Afghanistan different? better? acceptable on any level? As I recall, the focus on Afghanistan really amped up in the past 3 years (HMMMMMMM)
the
Taliban still managed to wage a successful guerilla war against the armies of
the Crucifixers. This will go down in history as another great victory for heroic
Afghani warriors against an invading superpower
Recent reports
state that the Taliban feel that they are on the verge of victory. It really
seems as if the Taliban are correct and are justified in believing they are
winning. Battlefield moral is a big issue in warfare. The Taliban Jihadists are
gladly fighting and happily dying as martyrs for a cause they truly believe in
(Islam). The Taliban are anxious for the fight, whereas each and every US
soldier is fearful of warfare and dreads waking-up in Afghanistan each morning
Here is a prime example of a terrorist supporter living in the u.s. ? im not afraid to say it. can someone please trace this guy and have him investigated? make no joke about it. this is your neighbor. he is allowed to vote and help pass laws in the u.s. like removing religion from schools and allow illegal immigration. He is tearing down the foundation and the priciples our nations was built on. He is helping make decisions in our country that will effect you. This is why we are fighting there to keep men and women like him from coming here.
"It isnt americas job to police the world". Thats what we always hear. Well who else is going to do it. when is the world going to be held acountable for thier actions? it's not okay to starve people for profit, its not okay to kill based on faith, and it shouldnt be okay to breed hate, or train suicide bombers on a path to destroy the infidel!
As long as these types of people exist we have an obligation to seek them out. war is hell but better done in their yard than ours.
So put on your big boy pants america put down your pacifiers and get ready to see more death on both sides until it's finished.
Mikael--you sound brainwashed.
Whats a Taliban victory? Even when our troops come home, the Taliban are still a bunch of cavemen living in bumfucegypt. Our soldiers won long before 9/11 and the bush wars. All the fighting since WWII has just been extra curricular. Maybe your towel is wrapped a little too tight.
Ok - put yourself in my shoes. I have a daughter, who is in Afghanistan, who is a Blackhawk pilot, who is in Helmund province. I am out to dinner with my friends and I get a call - "is your daughter ok?" My wife and I have no idea what the F is happening... How in the world can this news release come from the Pentagon BEFORE any families are notified? How do you think my meal was? PLEASE - Washington - get your act together -- no press releases until familiies are notified and you can say without question that ALL families have been notified... I sit here right now not knowing if my daughter is with us or with her maker... I would bet there are another few hundred families sitting on pins and needles as it is policy to cut the internet in remote areas until family are visited by the US Army officials to provide notification of death. Panetta - do your job and follow procedure.
praying your daughter is safe. what a horrible thing to go through.
all gave some; some gave all - no matter what branch we serve in we are family, my heart goes out to the families....
iplaygolf13 - I could not agree more with what you said.. I have always feared on how my wife would find out if I should fall..there is a right and wrong way to notify family members
To every one else can we please stop the political statements for once and take a brief moment to remember that 4 service members lost their life today and that they should be remembered not just as soldiers but as sons, daughter, husbands and wives and very soon these words will be said
"On behalf of the POTUS, a great full nation and proud "insert service" i present this flag to you in recognitions of your love one's faithful and honorable service to their country."
whether it be war or peace time these words have been said to families, let us not forget their service..I know I won't and every day that i pit my uniform on i know who it really represents.
Fair winds and following seas shipmates.
Well said Sailor. It is a shame that more people don't understand what true honor and respect means. Shameful also is that only 14 people took the time to comment on this sad story but 8500 people voted here on MSNBC for who should win American Idol. I understand that not everyone is cut out for military service but everyone that is deserves respect for doing the job some will not.
Thank you
U.S.N. 1980-1985
iplaygolf- You are so right, what a hell to have to go through! I keep all military and families in my thoughts and prayers, and I pray that your daughter is safe, and you get the news soon!
Unless you are a decision maker in the government, or in uniform over here supporting the effort, you are in NO WAY qualified to decide when we get to come home. Just STFU and sit on your couch eating your bon-bons and let the real men and women in uniform do our jobs.
And news such as this does NOT get released to the press until the next of kin is officially notified.
Good news for my family - continue to pray for those who lost a loved one today...
"I'm okay, as are my guys.....I'll call as soon as the ban is lifted on phones here. .....they shut down
all communications for a while, and always do after an incident...."
I would vote for Homer Simpson if he would get our people out of there.
Condolences and prayers go to the fallen soldiers' families and friends.
Is it a mechanical problem or shot down by someone?
Sometimes, but not always, a helicopter crash press releases from Afghanistan is a ruse. The more vague the better...
They were half way to heaven before they knew they were in trouble. So let us all pray the second half brought them to a peaceful place no matter what side of life they landed. Condolence's to all who will be touched by this tragic event that is yet another day's work for many a better person than you or I.
I like many here wish tomorrow was 2014 and all our son's daughters mother's and father's were safely at home. But as much as I wish them all home. I also know that the mission they are on can not be cut short of complete success. Or one day another will have to stand in the same footstep's in the same place against the same evil's against freedom.
To many and myself included afganistan is not worth the loss of even an empty old combat boot in the sand.
But if the force's they train are not left strong enough to finally do their own fighting against this enemy then it will once again be our fight. For make no mistake just coming home will not make this problem go away. And while today it might not matter to many who control's afganistan. To lose it to extremist will leave only one question, what country will be next on the islamist list to control?
Is this about oil, is this about opium, I'm sure that it is, but above all else it is about the future of freedom in the world. The islamist have made no attempt to disguise their ultimate goal. They have however made the ultimate mistake, attacking the USA before all other's. Giving us this rare opportunity to engage them long before they have the mean's of bringing their islamist world dominence to our shore's.
To just pick-up and come home now will end today's sorrow. But leave it yet again as another problem passed to a generation to come, closer to home. Can we really afford to be so selfish? To care only for today and do nothing for tomorrow while we have this rare opportunity to know what tomorrow will bring if we do nothing about it today?
To iplaygolf your not alone in your feeling's of the unknown. I like you and many other's have a Marine that I know only is standing ready, off shore, last that I knew. Whose where about's are unknown and many day's safety in question. So my thought's above on their mission are not written lightly, but unfortunetly by many the importance not understood.
So to them and to those voiceing 'get out' you would do well to remember. That with every voice of discontent you make our silly politician's think twice of their commitment and decision's for fear of your vote prolonging what should have been done. So if you really want this to end get out of the way so they make the hard choice's that are right for service personal without thought's of what it will mean to election's. The cause of the politically correct war and it's cost to our loved one's is at the feet of those who know nothing and voice it out loud!
.
In the words of the immortal song by Freda Payne, Bring The Boys Home and Bring em back alive! (Girls 2)