The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan says an airstrike has killed the militants responsible for last week's helicopter crash that killed 38 Americans and Afghans.
Insurgents shot down the Chinook helicopter in the central Afghan province of Wardak on Saturday. Thirty American troops, including members of the elite Navy SEALS, were killed along with seven Afghan soldiers and an Afghan interpreter. It was the worst loss of life for the United States in a single incident during the decade-long war in Afghanistan.
General John Allen told reporters at the Pentagon Wednesday that a coalition air raid killed the Taliban insurgents responsible for bringing down the helicopter in Wardak.
In a separate statement, NATO said the precision airstrike Tuesday killed Taliban leader Mullah Mohibullah and the insurgent who “fired the shot associated with” the downing of the CH-47 helicopter in the Tangi Valley.
The coalition said special operations forces tracked down Mohibullah and the shooter after receiving information from local citizens. The two men were attempting to flee the country to avoid capture.
The Chinook helicopter had been sent into the Tangi Valley on Saturday as part of an operation targeting a Taliban leader. NATO said Wednesday that while it has not been determined if enemy fire was the “sole reason” for the helicopter crash, the aircraft did take fire from several insurgent locations on its approach.
During Wednesday's press briefing, General Allen defended the decision to send in the elite team to pursue insurgents who were “escaping” from an ongoing operation targeting an important Taliban leader.
He said that the Taliban leader targeted in the operation has not yet been killed or captured by coalition and Afghan forces.
U.S. President Barack Obama traveled to Dover Air Force Base in the eastern U.S. state of Delaware on Tuesday to pay his respects as the remains of the fallen soldiers, including nearly two dozen elite Navy SEALS, were brought home on two military cargo planes.
The White House says President Obama later met with some 250 family and friends of the fallen soldiers who had gathered at the base, and expressed his condolences and gratitude for the troops' sacrifice.
