VARIOUS: Coalition forces in Afghanistan kill Taliban militants responsible for shooting down a U.S. helicopter on August 6

Record ID: 342427

  • Title: VARIOUS: Coalition forces in Afghanistan kill Taliban militants responsible for shooting down a U.S. helicopter on August 6
  • Date: 11th August 2011
  • Summary: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, AFGHANISTAN (FILE) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) CLOSE OF TALIBAN FIGHTER VARIOUS OF TALIBAN FIGHTERS CARRYING WEAPONS
  • Embargoed: 26th August 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Afghanistan, Usa
  • City:
  • Country: Afghanistan
  • Topics: International Relations,Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVA5L8SVB0A73WMLFJR2IGWYVDEZ
  • Story Text: NATO-led forces killed the Taliban militants responsible for shooting down a U.S. helicopter last weekend, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan said on Wednesday (August 10).
    "At approximately midnight on 8th August, coalition forces killed the Taliban insurgents responsible for this attack against the helicopter, which we assessed was an RPG (Rocket-propelled grenade) round. This action was a continuation of the original mission to dismantle the Taliban network in the Sayedabad District of the Wardak Province. This does not ease our loss but we must and we will continue to relentlessly pursue the enemy," ISAF Commander Marine General John Allen told Pentagon reporters via video-conference from Kabul.
    The disclosure by Allen came during a briefing on the crash that killed 30 U.S. forces - most of them elite Navy SEALs - in the single deadliest incident for U.S. forces in the Afghan war. Eight Afghans were also killed.
    The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force named those killed in the NATO strike as Taliban leader Mullah Mohibullah and the insurgent who it said fired the shot tied to the Aug. 6 downing of the CH-47 helicopter.
    "We tracked them, as we would in the aftermath of any operation and we dealt with them in a kinetic strike and in the aftermath of that we have achieved certainty that they in fact were killed in that strike," Allen added.
    The incident has drawn attention in the United States, partly because of the high death toll.
    U.S. President Barack Obama flew to Dover Air Force Base on Tuesday (August 9) to watch the arrival of the remains of those killed and the military has launched an investigation into the incident.
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