US Special Operations Forces surrounded after helicopter crash in Marjah, Afghanistan - Polidicks

[t]http://sofrep.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/mirza-630x420.jpg[/t] [QUOTE]More than a dozen U.S. Army special operations soldiers and a rescue helicopter flight crew are "securing the crash site" in Marjah, Afghanistan, taking cover in a compound surrounded by enemy fire and hostile Taliban fighters after a U.S. special operation solider was killed earlier in the day, senior U.S. defense officials told Fox News late Tuesday. A U.S. official described the “harrowing” scene to Fox News, saying there were enemy forces surrounding the compound in which the special operations team sought refuge. “On the map there is one green dot representing friendly forces stuck in the compound, and around it is a sea of red [representing hostile forces],” the official told Fox News. A U.S. military “quick reaction force” of reinforcements arrived late Tuesday and evacuated the U.S. special operations soldier killed in action, and the two wounded Americans in the compound, according to a U.S. defense official. The crew of the disabled helicopter also evacuated safely, the official said. The rest of the U.S. special operations team remain in the compound to secure the damaged HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter in an area surrounded by Taliban fighters. [B]An AC-130 gunship has been called in for air cover as the U.S. troops now wait out the night. [/B] Earlier in the day, two USAF HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters were sent to rescue the U.S. special operations team. One of the helicopters took fire and waved off the mission and flew back to base. The other helicopter’s blades struck the wall of the compound while attempting a rescue of the special operations team, according to defense officials who compared the scene to one similar to the helicopter crash inside Usama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan on the mission to kill the Al Qaeda leader in May 2011. The joint U.S. and Afghan special operations team was sent to Marjah to clear the area of Taliban fighters, who have retaken most of the town since November. There were nine airstrikes on Tuesday in support of a clearing operation. Earlier in the day, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook confirmed to reporters that the fighting in Marjah remains ongoing. "There's fighting on the ground as we speak," said Cook. "Everything's being done to secure the safety of those Americans and the Afghan forces," he added. The Taliban in recent weeks has focused its efforts on retaking parts of Helmand, and the U.S. has countered with U.S. special operations forces working with Afghan troops. [/QUOTE] [URL]http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/01/06/us-troops-embroiled-in-firefight-after-helicopter-crash-in-afghanistan.html[/URL] SOFREP has some more details as to what happened before the crash [QUOTE]Today, during morning military operations in the Helmand (or Hillmand) province, an unidentified U.S. special operations member was killed and a second U.S. soldier wounded in a firefight against the Taliban. A rescue/medevac helicopter arrived on scene to extract the soldiers to a secure area. While on the ground, the rescue helicopter came under mortar fire. An unconfirmed second serviceman was either killed or wounded during this engagement and may have been inside the helo at the time injuries were sustained. The chopper was able to take off, but could not maintain flight and landed in the city of Marjah. There are some conflicting reports as to whether the medevac landed due to damage from the mortar attack or from other mechanical issues. The Helmand province is an oddly shaped region in southern Afghanistan. It is the largest province (by area) in Afghanistan and is considered strategically important given its fertile soil—where vast amounts of poppy are grown and used as a cash source for the Taliban—and its two roadways that run east to west, serving as an important supply route. When British and other coalition forces withdrew from the area in 2013, there was a rush to reacquire control of the region and cultivate the poppy seed crop. The area has been the focus of a Taliban resurgence and will likely be of interest to ISIS in the future. [/QUOTE] [URL]http://sofrep.com/45730/u-s-special-operations-member-killed-in-helmand-province-afghanistan/[/URL]

sooo blackhawk down then?

Nice to see Blackhawk Down will have a sequel. In seriousness though this is shit and I hope someone makes it back.

Given the history that we have with situations like this, I feel bad for the taliban that are about to try and get those soldiers: usually when US troops get surrounded and put under siege, when all is said and done there's a ratio of like 30:1 for every dead US soldier. Still, though, I hope our guys can get out of there with the least losses possible.

Hope they make it back alive man. Give em hell

[QUOTE=Jelman;49466639]sooo blackhawk down then?[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Pvt. Martin;49466684]Nice to see Blackhawk Down will have a sequel. In seriousness though this is shit and I hope someone makes it back.[/QUOTE] How predictable.

Can't wait until Fox buys the movie rights. On a serious note I hope they get out safely.

[QUOTE=Jelman;49466639]sooo blackhawk down then?[/QUOTE] no it was a pave hawk

"Pavehawk Down" doesn't quite have the ring to it.

RIP to the solider, thank you, as always <3 (I'm not American but those US soldiers that are there to do their duty are doing it to protect our way of life, regardless of why this war started in the first place)

[QUOTE=willer;49466789]Given the history that we have with situations like this, I feel bad for the taliban that are about to try and get those soldiers: usually when US troops get surrounded and put under siege, when all is said and done there's a ratio of like 30:1 for every dead US soldier. Still, though, I hope our guys can get out of there with the least losses possible.[/QUOTE] In Mogadishu I think it was about 93, give or take US Soldiers vs the entire city's worth of insurgents and militia for about 18 hours. We lost 18 guys, and the Red Cross could only estimate enemy KIA between 1200-2000. We will make you work for it Also, the Pavehawk and Blackhawk are essentially the same aircraft. One's a UH-60, the other an HH-60, the differences being better Nav and Communications and the capability to do Day/Night CSAR on the Pavehawk

Why were the Taliban making an effort in that skirmish? [IMG]https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTBX4HL1Q97ATJ8uHotkv_M78mOkyvSBuWRWD_U3dYy6pqt3VQ1[/IMG]

So we got farmers with AK's and RPG's against hardened special operatives backed up with all sorts of air support.. Something tells me they'll hold out for a while.

Though I have no idea how common this occurence is, this sounds so surreal. [QUOTE=arthuro12;49467527]So we got farmers with AK's and RPG's against hardened special operatives backed up with all sorts of air support.. Something tells me they'll hold out for a while.[/QUOTE] I hope they do. But more than holding out for a while, I'm hoping that all these guys get back to their families safe and sound. My heart goes out to the family of the operative who died. Sucks.

Shit, being surrounded in enemy territory would be fucking terrifying. Hope they make it.

You know, there is a super old saying called; "Put your men into position when there is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight." Good luck whoever they're fighting; it won't help you.

[QUOTE=Pvt. Martin;49466684]Nice to see Blackhawk Down will have a sequel. In seriousness though this is shit and I hope someone makes it back.[/QUOTE] with the beat-for-beat "no im just kidding i actually care" after your crass joke, it shows you really couldn't care less and don't wanna seem "bad". I'm not saying it's wrong not to, but at least own up to yourself

[QUOTE=Milkdairy;49467220]"Pavehawk Down" doesn't quite have the ring to it.[/QUOTE] Pavehawk is just a better version of the Blackhawk for the Air Force, better navigation systems, better communications equipment, longer range (more fuel tanks), defensive flares, radar jammers, ability to refuel mid-flight, and folding blades so it can be efficiently stored on the Navy's ships. It's used for Special Operations due to its range and versatility.

Update: [QUOTE][B]Washington Policy Leaves Special Forces Soldiers Flapping in the Breeze in Marjah, Afghanistan[/B] It took so long to launch the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) to help out Green Berets pinned down and under fire in Marjah, Afghanistan that it would have been faster to deploy a team from another continent rather than wait for the theater commanders in Afghanistan to let a nearby Special Forces team go to help their team mates. With a team from 19th Special Forces Group attached to 3rd Special Forces Group surrounded and under fire in Marjah, Afghanistan their QRF should have been launched far sooner. It wasn’t the fault of the actual soldiers, who were standing by and ready to go, but command would not let them leave their base, insisting that they wait for the next period of darkness before a team from 19th Special Forces Group was able to drive in and conduct a off-set infil to support their fellow Green Berets. The 19th Group Team was there as part of a broader effort to re-take Marjah from the Taliban, and was coordinated with local Afghan units which were clearing adjacent valleys. Once pinned down, one team member was killed, another seriously injured. A Special Forces medic (18D) worked on the casualty for 12-hours, keeping him alive while receiving enemy fire. The casualty, “was alert and oriented” by the time he was finally evacuated according to one SOFREP source. The Department of Defense has not yet released the name of the soldier who was killed in action. Worse yet, command would not authorize fire support from a circling AC-130 gunship due to fears of collateral damage. Recent events such as the hospital bombing in Kunduz probably resonate at command levels, but perhaps they should have been thinking more about another recent event, Benghazi, since their men on the ground faced the threat of being overrun. Eventually, the command allowed AC-130 to fire a whopping two 40mm rounds into an open field a weak show of force to the Taliban. 3rd Group Green Berets have often complained about the leadership failures experienced while in theater in Afghanistan. Part of the problem is that they end up working for NATO Special Operations Component Command – Afghanistan (NSOCC-A). “We have so many fucking Generals that don’t do shit,” one Special Forces soldier said in disgust. “Every base I go to I trip over 50 majors, 30 LTCs, and see 6 Generals.” Entire advisory teams and separate military commands are invented in Afghanistan simply so that officers can be deployed and hold a “command” which will get them promoted. One spot of good news is that the Afghan Local Police (ALP), Afghan National Army (ANA) Special Forces, and Afghan Commandos have turned out to be strong allies in fighting the Taliban. “They are really doing their job…but you won’t read that in the news,” a Green Beret told SOFREP. [/QUOTE] [url]http://sofrep.com/45772/special-forces-soldiers-left-flapping-in-the-breeze-in-marjah-afghanistan/[/url]

[QUOTE=abcpea;49467207]no it was a pave hawk[/QUOTE] So we're the ones in Blackhawk Down.