Pentagon Releases Names and Hometowns of Troops Killed In Helicopter Massacre, Including SEALs

I had though that the government didn't usually acknowledge the deaths of SEALs on missions, treating them like covert operatives, claiming their deaths were due to training mishaps and such.

Is that right? That's what I thought, at least.

But the Pentagon has released all the names.

Officials now say the SEALs were not rescuing the Rangers at all. The Rangers, they say now, were winning the fight, to the extent that the Taliban was fleeing, and this helicopter troop was called in to stop their retreat.

Okay, but this raises some difficult questions. It was highly questionable why so many men were in a single Chinook helicopter before. At least if it was a rescue mission, one could imagine exigent circumstances forcing them all aboard the only chopper that was available (I'm making this up as a plausible scenario).

But if the mission was to kill Taliban, why jam-pack so many men into a single vulnerable helicopter? In a mission like this, what would be the exigent circumstances dictating a dangerous overload of men in one aircraft?

You Know... I hate to be conspiratorial, but with the White House offering special access regarding the Obama Reelection Movie (aka The Killing bin Ladin Movie), but wishing to deny that...

Five More US Troops Die In Afghanistan: A roadside bomb kills five more heroes in southern, Pashtun, Taliban-loving bomb-bait Afghanistan.

At least 50 foreign troops have been killed so far in August.

Violence is at its worst in Afghanistan since U.S.-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban government in late 2001, with record civilian casualties and high levels of foreign troop deaths during the first half of 2011.

It almost seems like they've been encouraged by firm withdrawal dates and a politician broadcasting his politically-motivated desire to deliver an election-eve bugout.

posted by Ace at 01:34 PM

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