Cruelbreed
07-20-2009, 12:37 PM
16 Killed in Copter Crash at Afghan Base
By RICHARD A. OPPEL (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/richard_a_jr_oppel/index.html?inline=nyt-per) Jr.
KABUL, Afghanistan — Sixteen civilians were killed Sunday when a transport helicopter working for the NATO (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/north_atlantic_treaty_organization/index.html?inline=nyt-org)-led military coalition crashed as it tried to take off from the military base at Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, officials said. Five others were injured.
NATO officials ruled out hostile fire in the crash, as the craft was well within the perimeter of the military base, crashing just after it took off more than a mile inside the camp, said Capt. Glen Parent of the Canadian Army. “It was taking off, but for some reason the takeoff was not successful,” said Captain Parent, a spokesman for NATO forces. “We can confirm 100 percent that it was not due to insurgent fire.”
The helicopter was a Russian Mi-8 owned by a Russian company, Vertical-T Air, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing the Russian aviation agency. The agency said 15 people had been killed.
It was not clear why the Russian agency’s casualty figures differed from NATO’s. The victims’ nationalities were not identified.
On Monday, a NATO plane also crashed shortly after takeoff from the Kandahar airfield, alliance officials told news agencies. A military spokeswoman said the crew members had ejected from the plane but suffered some injuries. She said there would be an investigation of the crash but “insurgent activity has been ruled out.”
The episode Sunday was the second deadly crash of a civilian transport helicopter in southern Afghanistan in recent days. Last week, six Ukrainians were killed when a Russian-made, Moldovan-owned helicopter that had been contracted to work for NATO forces crashed in Helmand Province. Moldovan authorities said it was brought down by insurgent fire.
Civilian contract helicopters are commonly used to ferry contractors and supplies from major bases to far-flung NATO and American military outposts across Afghanistan.
In London, the British Defense Ministry said Monday that one more British soldier had died in the northern part of Helmand Province, where American Marines (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/m/us_marine_corps/index.html?inline=nyt-org) are spearheading a drive against the Taliban (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/t/taliban/index.html?inline=nyt-org). The soldier, who was killed in an explosion, was the 17th from Britain to die in Afghanistan this month. Since the Taliban were driven out of power by an American-led invasion in late 2001, 186 British soldiers have died. In comparison, 179 have died in the Iraq war. In the same period, 742 American troops have died in Afghanistan, according to icasualties.org (http://icasualties.org/oef/), a Web site that monitors deaths and injuries.
In addition to the crash in Kandahar, a United States Army (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/a/us_army/index.html?inline=nyt-org) helicopter crash-landed Sunday near a military base in Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan. There were injuries but no fatalities, according to military officials, who said the crash was not caused by insurgent fire.
On Saturday, a United States F-15E fighter jet crashed in central Afghanistan, killing both crew members. The military said “hostile fire” was not a factor.
Pentagon officials also identified the captured United States soldier who was shown in an Internet video released Saturday by his Taliban captors.
Military officials have said the soldier, Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 23, of Ketchum, Idaho, walked off his outpost in eastern Afghanistan three weeks ago. In the video, the soldier says he was captured after he lagged behind during a patrol. Afghan police officials said the soldier’s base was in Paktika Province, a rugged and dangerous region that borders Pakistan.
The Pentagon said Private Bergdahl was a member of the First Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, Fourth Brigade, 25th Infantry Division based at Fort Richardson, Alaska.
Bob Bergdahl, the soldier’s father, from Hailey, Idaho, issued a statement on Saturday, saying, “We hope and pray for our son’s safe return to his comrades and then to our family, and we appreciate all the support and expressions of sympathy shown to us.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/world/asia/21afghan.html?ref=asia
By RICHARD A. OPPEL (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/richard_a_jr_oppel/index.html?inline=nyt-per) Jr.
KABUL, Afghanistan — Sixteen civilians were killed Sunday when a transport helicopter working for the NATO (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/north_atlantic_treaty_organization/index.html?inline=nyt-org)-led military coalition crashed as it tried to take off from the military base at Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, officials said. Five others were injured.
NATO officials ruled out hostile fire in the crash, as the craft was well within the perimeter of the military base, crashing just after it took off more than a mile inside the camp, said Capt. Glen Parent of the Canadian Army. “It was taking off, but for some reason the takeoff was not successful,” said Captain Parent, a spokesman for NATO forces. “We can confirm 100 percent that it was not due to insurgent fire.”
The helicopter was a Russian Mi-8 owned by a Russian company, Vertical-T Air, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing the Russian aviation agency. The agency said 15 people had been killed.
It was not clear why the Russian agency’s casualty figures differed from NATO’s. The victims’ nationalities were not identified.
On Monday, a NATO plane also crashed shortly after takeoff from the Kandahar airfield, alliance officials told news agencies. A military spokeswoman said the crew members had ejected from the plane but suffered some injuries. She said there would be an investigation of the crash but “insurgent activity has been ruled out.”
The episode Sunday was the second deadly crash of a civilian transport helicopter in southern Afghanistan in recent days. Last week, six Ukrainians were killed when a Russian-made, Moldovan-owned helicopter that had been contracted to work for NATO forces crashed in Helmand Province. Moldovan authorities said it was brought down by insurgent fire.
Civilian contract helicopters are commonly used to ferry contractors and supplies from major bases to far-flung NATO and American military outposts across Afghanistan.
In London, the British Defense Ministry said Monday that one more British soldier had died in the northern part of Helmand Province, where American Marines (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/m/us_marine_corps/index.html?inline=nyt-org) are spearheading a drive against the Taliban (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/t/taliban/index.html?inline=nyt-org). The soldier, who was killed in an explosion, was the 17th from Britain to die in Afghanistan this month. Since the Taliban were driven out of power by an American-led invasion in late 2001, 186 British soldiers have died. In comparison, 179 have died in the Iraq war. In the same period, 742 American troops have died in Afghanistan, according to icasualties.org (http://icasualties.org/oef/), a Web site that monitors deaths and injuries.
In addition to the crash in Kandahar, a United States Army (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/a/us_army/index.html?inline=nyt-org) helicopter crash-landed Sunday near a military base in Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan. There were injuries but no fatalities, according to military officials, who said the crash was not caused by insurgent fire.
On Saturday, a United States F-15E fighter jet crashed in central Afghanistan, killing both crew members. The military said “hostile fire” was not a factor.
Pentagon officials also identified the captured United States soldier who was shown in an Internet video released Saturday by his Taliban captors.
Military officials have said the soldier, Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 23, of Ketchum, Idaho, walked off his outpost in eastern Afghanistan three weeks ago. In the video, the soldier says he was captured after he lagged behind during a patrol. Afghan police officials said the soldier’s base was in Paktika Province, a rugged and dangerous region that borders Pakistan.
The Pentagon said Private Bergdahl was a member of the First Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, Fourth Brigade, 25th Infantry Division based at Fort Richardson, Alaska.
Bob Bergdahl, the soldier’s father, from Hailey, Idaho, issued a statement on Saturday, saying, “We hope and pray for our son’s safe return to his comrades and then to our family, and we appreciate all the support and expressions of sympathy shown to us.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/world/asia/21afghan.html?ref=asia