I’m very interested in the recent helicopter crash in Afghanistan that killed a huge number of US Navy SEALs:
The operators from SEAL Team Six were flown by a crew of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. That’s according to one current and one former U.S. official. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because families are still being notified of the loss of their loved ones.
One source says the team was thought to include 22 SEALs, three Air Force air controllers, seven Afghan Army troops, a dog and his handler, and a civilian interpreter, plus the helicopter crew.
The sources thought this was the largest single loss of life ever for SEAL Team Six, known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group. (via AP)
This is undoubtedly tragic, but what’s most intriguing is that the Navy soldiers were members of the Seal Team 6, the top special operations unit that killed Osama. While none of the soldiers were the same as the Osama raid, the interesting aspect of this crash is that the members of the Armed Forces present in the helicopter was roughly the same as the crew sent out on the Osama mission. Note that not only were there a large number of the top special forces, but also a dog and handler, a translator, and members of the Afghan Army. The mission to take Osama included both a dog and a local translator, which implies to me that the destination, which we will likely never learn, was another high-level assassination mission, likely against a senior Taliban/Al Qaeda leader. The Afghan Armed Forces members could have been backup to give the mission a local legitimacy. Only time will tell, but this loss of life is horribly sad either way.
