The immediate reaction force Extortion 17 carried should have been flown in two helicopters: Senior JSOC and aviation planners both agreed that the best course of action was to put the entire . Extortion 17, Seal Team Six and What Really Happened on the - Newsweek A catastrophic crash seemed unavoidable. Their deaths are the greatest single loss of life ever suffered by the U.S. Special Operations community in the 24-year history of the U.S. Special Operations Command.[5][22][15][23]. Classified reports, published by Wikileaks, teem with notes from pilots and crew of all types of military helicopters who saw RPG attacks throughout the war. So much of the war is fought in areas where these helicopters have to fly at high altitudes, where the thin air can strain the performance of the engines and rotor blades, said Ed Darack, author of the recently published book, The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicopter Support, SEAL Team Six and the Deadliest Day of the U.S. War in Afghanistan. Families suspect SEAL Team 6 crash was inside job on worst day in At 10:58 p.m., they were inserted by the same CH-47D helicopters that would later conduct the mission to insert the SEAL team. [11][12], As the Rangers approached the target compound, ISR aircraft observed several people leaving the compound. Directors Karl Horstmann Stephen Spivey Writer Stephen Spivey Stars Sean Hannity Raj Kala In March 2009, the U.S. 10th Mountain Division established a base in Tangi Valley after increased Taliban activity in the area. The image released and purported to be Bin Laden was a blended image of an old Bin Laden pic and an image of a different terrorist that was killed in battle. [45] McChrystal cited a previous "overreliance on firepower and force protection" and the need to reduce civilian casualties and win the cooperation of the local population. The Joint Combat Assessment Team report further noted that despite a robust deck of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets, none identified the location from which the shooters fired prior to the helicopter downing. Nichols had deployed three times to combat zones, and Carter, with more than 4,000 hours of flight time, was one of the most experienced helicopter pilots in the U.S. military. And to this day, people are still debating what really happened. I find it extremely suspicious that, after the alleged killing of Osama Bin Laden, there was a very suspicious burial at sea for a covered corpse that was alleged to be Bin Laden. The squadron that this SEAL belonged to was never mentioned. Hs unit called itself Extortion Company. One of his Chinooks, flying under the call sign Extortion 17 (one-seven), was tasked with the special operations mission the night of Aug. 6. In order to prevent this, American forces called in for support. 5 U.S. May God give them the strength to carry on without them. Thirty-eight boarded Extortion 17 Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter pilots from the 159th General Support Aviation Battalion. Extortion 17 and its 38 occupants would not return. Thirty members of the American special forces have been killed in Afghanistan in the deadliest day of the 10-year war for US military personnel when the Taliban shot down . No one is planting victory gardens, and were not rationing. The Chinook is often used to assist in disaster relief, delivering food and water after earthquakes and floods. In less than five seconds, the helicopter crashed, killing all occupants, and approximately 30 seconds later, one of the AH-64 Apache helicopters radioed in the crash. Two fired at roughly the same time. Their target was a Taliban commander responsible for ambushes and other attacks against U.S. and Afghan forces. It would never return. [1][5][6][7][8] At 30 American military personnel killed, the shootdown of Extortion 17 represents the greatest single-incident loss of American lives in Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan, surpassing the 16 lost in the downing of Turbine 33, a 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) MH-47 helicopter, during Operation Red Wings on 28 June 2005.[2]. And now, the government wants to make the Taliban legitamet. BUT the Chief Command and those who elected him will pay for there failure to seek Yahwahs guidance before going to war or to vote for a new president! 2 U.S. Navy SEALs from a west coast-based SEAL team. Upon learning of Tahirs possible location, a U.S. Army Rangers and Afghan Special Forces team was deployed into the valley from the south. But no one died. The events that unfolded that night are commonly referred to as Extortion 17, the call sign for the helicopter transporting the special operations personnel. The landing zone was small, and the commanders didnt want to split up the strike force. A few minutes past 2 a.m.on August 6, 2011, at a dusty forward operating base40 miles south of Kabul, Afghanistan, the rotors of two U.S. Army CH-47D Chinooks began to turn. Did Extortion 17 cover-up sink Rep. Chaffetz? - WND Following a scorched earth tactic may have killed the two shootersand possibly a greater number of innocentsprior to Extortion 17s return that night, but counterinsurgency doctrine dictates that such tactics lead to potentially far worse long-term consequences. When the Boeing CH-47D Chinook helicopter was hit, all 38 onboard were instantly killed. The crash is referred to as Extortion 17 by the callsign of the CH-47 Chinook helicopter involved in the crash. "The downing of Extortion 17 was a catastrophic and unprecedented tragedy for our nation," Reid testified. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. We were told at that time we were the first unit to make it through a rotation without having anyone killed.. Extortion 17 and 16 werent MH-47s and their crews were not Night Stalkers. Austin Williams visits the gravesite of U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher C. Campbell in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 30, 2016. Intelligence on August 6th indicated Qari Tahir was in Tangi Valley, just a short helicopter flight from the SEAL base camp. The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicopter Support, SEAL Team Six, and the Deadliest Day of the U.S. War in Afghanistan Hardcover - September 19, 2017 by Ed Darack (Author) 223 ratings Editors' pick Best History See all formats and editions Kindle $13.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial Hardcover Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos And while all military helicopters carry countermeasures for guided missiles, nothing can interdict the dumb luck of an unguided RPG round sailing through the air. The quick reaction force included SEAL Team 6 and other special operations personnel. [39], During the same Pentagon news conference in which he announced that the F-16 airstrike had incapacitated "less than 10" of the insurgents involved, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander in Afghanistan John R. Allen said that the military investigation would also review whether small-arms fire or other causes might have contributed to the downing. This would not be the first time that an Afghan military member has been an undercover Taliban Terrorist and shot our US Military! The crash killed all 38 people on board including 25 American special operations personnel, five United States Army National Guard and Army Reserve crewmen, seven Afghan commandos, and one Afghan interpreter as well as a U.S. military working dog. In March 2002, two MH-47s were downed by machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire while close to ground level. The vast majority miss. That night, nearly 10 years after the U.S. had gone to war in Afghanistan, Lee believed they were the best team for this dangerous mission. Chance is still part of the battlefield, says Brady. | READ MORE. Extortion 16 flew empty. Also very suspicious that the only member of Seal Team Six that is still alive and in the public sphere happened to be the guy that killed Bin Laden?? But the CH-47D has neither a flight nor voice recorder, only an engine performance data recorder for maintenance. In light of that raids success, the shootdown of Extortion 17 incited a flurry of conspiracy theories: The Taliban were tipped off; it was a trap; it was retribution for the killing. As Extortion 17 moved into final approach of the target area at 0238 local time, the Rangers on the ground watched in horror as it took a direct hit from an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade). Editor's Note: On August 6, 2021, 30 American military servicemen and a U.S. military dog were killed when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter - call sign Extortion 17 - was shot down in Afghanistan. On August 6, 2011, the final flight of Extortion 17 resulted in the single deadliest incident for the US military during the War in Afghanistan. Your Privacy Rights While Benghazi resulted in four American deaths, Extortion 17 resulted in 38 deaths, including nearly two dozen Navy SEALs. Night Stalker pilots and crew rigorously train for nighttime raids, like the one in Juy Zarin. June 5, 2022 Posted by: Category: Uncategorized; No Comments . U.S. Navy Seals At 2:38 a.m. on August 6, 2011, a U.S. Army Chinook helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, entered the western opening of Afghanistan's restive Tangi Valley, flying alone. Humm, to have all the Seal Team 6 members in one place at one time?? Every mission is potentially life-threatening. The mission was flown by conventional pilots flying unmodified CH-47Ds. If this was survivable, that was the right crew to have. All content is protected by copyright and may not be used for commercial purposes without prior written permission. Mission commanders, believing that Tahir was likely among one of the groups, deployed an Immediate Reaction Force (IRF) to interdict them while the Rangers held the compound. 29 Photos Documentary On a moonless night, an Army helicopter carrying 17 members of the elite Navy SEAL Team 6, the unit that killed Osama Bin Laden, is shot down in Afghanistan. "[31][32] NBC News reported that the Pentagon released the names of the 30 Americans killed. The mission was flown by conventional pilots flying unmodified CH-47Ds. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a62b75e7a99f5de39e28d378788f7ec9" );document.getElementById("c08a1a06c7").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Content on this website is free to use and share, but please provide a link back to Spec Ops Magazine as a source. Air & Space/Smithsonian contributing editor Ed Darack is the author of The Warriors of Anbar; War Moments; The Final Mission of Extortion 17; Victory Point; and three other books. In The Final Mission of Extortion 17, Ed Darack debunks this theory and others and uncovers the truth behind this mysterious tragedy. He would eventually do two tours and become commander of a Chinook unit during his second deployment in 2011. Extortion 17 August 6, 2022 marks 11 years since Extortion 17. Photo by Sgt. The SEALs who assaulted Osama bin Ladens compound were drawn from Naval Special Warfare Development Groups Red Squadron, according to several sources in the special operations community.. Landing in deserts or mountainsides, the helicopter rotors kick up clouds of sand and dust, causing brownouts that can blind a pilot. Don Brown, a former U.S. Navy JAG officer stationed at the Pentagon, and former Special Assistant United . Extortion 17 and the Truth The Havok Journal [40], In October 2011, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that an investigation following the shootdown concluded "that all operational decisions, linked to the incident, were deemed tactically sound." The helicopter made its last radio transmission stating that it was one minute away from the landing zone, then descended to an altitude of 100150ft (3046m) and slowed to a speed of 50kn (58mph; 93km/h) as it approached the landing zone. 2017 The Dallas Morning News. The helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, was on a mission to reinforce American and coalition special operations troops. John W. Brown, 33, of Tallahassee, Florida, Staff Sgt. Caring is more than just slapping a bumper sticker on your car, he said. NFTs Simplified > Uncategorized > extortion 17 crash photos. [11] Seventeen U.S. Navy SEALs remained in reserve at the forward operating base. Fallen Angel: Extortion 17 Facts and Documentary Find the perfect extortion17 stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. The Taliban shot at the Chinooks all the time with RPGs and rifles, Darack said. On the night of 8 August 2011, an F-16 dropped four GBU-54 "Laser JDAM" bombs on the man, his accomplice and four associates in the Chak Valley, which lies to the west of the Tangi Valley. On a moonless night, an Army Chinook helicopter swept low over the Tangi Valley, a strip of forbidding terrain in eastern Afghanistan teeming with Taliban and located just 35 miles south of Kabul. Commanders frequently request CH-47 Chinooks to insert troops. Rest in peace, gentlemen; you will not be forgotten. Will this ever be exposed! The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicop Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. SEAL Team 6 & Extortion 17 Families Suspect Crash Was Inside Job When the two Chinooks had first touched down in the village, a group of eight fighters armed with AK-47 rifles and RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launchers bolted from the compound. It does not fly in a straight line, and there is no way to know what exact path it will takejust a fairly good idea of its trajectory.. The CH-47 "Chinook" was carrying some of this nation's bravest and most capable military . 2 U.S. Army personnel from the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment, part of the Colorado Army National Guard, PO1 John Douangdara & Navy SEAL Dog Bart, Of the 22 NSW members killed, 17 were SEALs, and five were direct support personnel, according to the source in the NSW community. The second shot hit the rear tail rotor assembly. Campbell was one of 30. The "had Seal team 6 killed" is a likely reference to what's known as the "Extortion 17" incident, the August 2011 tragedy in which a Chinook military helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan,. Less than five seconds after the RPG round hit, the helicopter spun uncontrollably, plummeting into a dry creek bed and erupting in a ball of fire that killed all on board. There are more operations than can be supported by the 160th at any given time," says Major Matthew Brady, a former 160th pilot and company commander. The military's public contradictions raise more questions than answers. The forward rotor system then tore off, stressed by the imbalance and the strain of carrying what would normally be a shared load. . The call sign for the Chinook was Extortion 17. Unidentified Remains Extortion 17 (unknown-2011) - Find a Grave Extortion 17: The Mission and the Tragedy in Afghanistan [11], The mission was deemed high risk; two AH-64 Apache helicopters, an AC-130 gunship, and other additional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft supported the troop transports on their approach and remained with the ground forces afterwards. The co-pilot, Bryan Nichols, was one of Lees closest friends in the Chinook company. The circumstances surrounding the events of Extortion 17 are tragic. The crash occurred in Tangi Joi Zareen, in the district of Sayd Abad in Wardak Province after it was struck by an. Enterprise. EXTORTION 17 COVER-UP OF SEAL TEAM SIX SHOOT-DOWN | BWCentral Were asking people to do incredible things. Extortion 17 - National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum There is a lot of controversy and discussion regarding the operators from the Gold Squadron who died abroad. [11] Going forward, the two AH-64 Apache helicopters would be engaged in tracking those two groups of Taliban, and hence unable to provide surveillance or fire support to the inbound helicopter carrying the SEAL team. August 6 marks six years since deadly 'Extortion 17' helicopter crash Lee, now a captain, was placed in command of a Chinook helicopter unit at Forward Operating Base Shank. Fallen Angel.. At 31 U.S. military personnel killed, the shoot down of Extortion 17 represents the greatest single-incident loss of U.S. lives in Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan, surpassing the 16. The RPG is not a laser. Extortion 17 - The Brian Bill Foundation One rocket struck a rotor blade, causing the aircraft to crash almost instantly. The SEAL commander assembled his force: 17 Navy SEALs, five Navy combat support specialists, three U.S. Air Force Special Tactics Airmen, seven Afghan Special Forces operators, an Afghan interpreter, and a military working dog. For example, on 8 June 2011 another Chinook helicopter was engaged from five to six locations (i.e., points of origin) with 14 rocket-propelled grenades, forcing the crew to abort their mission. Carter and Nichols continued the descent. Its crazy how many times I can think of where me or the guys I was with had to do that.. This group grew in number over the course of the night, but American forces were at first too preoccupied to engage. The helicopter plunged tail first. At that moment, Extortion 17 slowed to 58 mph, at no more than 150 feet, approaching a spot framed by trees and mud-brick huts, and "sparkled" by the infrared designator on an AC-130 gunship.