U.S. Helicopters Make Emergency Landings (Afghanistan)

KABUL, Afghanistan - Two U.S. helicopters made emergency landings during combat operations in Afghanistan on Sunday, injuring five American troops and an Afghan soldier, the U.S. military said.

The two Chinooks made emergency landings in separate areas in southern Afghanistan, the military said.

Five U.S. soldiers were injured in a landing north of Kandahar that seriously damaged the helicopter, the military said. A purported Taliban spokesman claimed insurgents shot down the craft. The injured soldiers were listed in stable condition at a military medical facilty, the military said.

A purported Taliban spokesman, Qari Mohammed Yousaf, claimed the Taliban shot down the helicopter north of Kandahar with a rocket, but also said that all aboard were killed. Yousaf often calls news organizations to claim responsibility for attacks, but the information is frequently exaggerated or untrue. His exact tie to the Taliban leadership is not clear.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051204/ap_on_re_as/afghan_us_helicopters

lots of bad news out of Afghanistan today

For those who don't recall, Kosygin warned that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan would be like the American Vietnam debacle.

in a secret prison somewhere along with Mullah Omar and Osama? Seems that the useful 'key' people never get caught.

.....all the equipment we have there. The fine sand gets in everything and stops the stuff from working. That's part of the reason that the Generals are saying that our army has broken.

I was expecting something more creative, like "unscheduled hiatus" or "unplanned vertical detour".

"The attempted attack against the coalition forces occurred after their convoy passed through the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Yousuf Stanekzai said the explosives detonated when the attacker was hit by a motorcycle. The blast killed the attacker and motorcycle driver and wounded two other people, U.S. military and Afghan police officials said.

One of the wounded was a coalition soldier, who was treated for minor injuries and returned to duty, said Lt. Mike Cody, a coalition spokesman. Afghan state television reported that the convoy was Canadian.

U.S. and Afghan officials called the attacker a suicide bomber, but a police officer at the scene said the man was apparently trying to throw a grenade."