Congress looks into 2011 Taliban shoot-down which killed 30 US troops

Congress looks into 2011 Taliban shoot-down which killed 30 US troops

1-Aug-2013 Source: Larry Klayman, Attourney

Last week, U.S. Representative for Utah’s 3rd congressional district and chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on National Security, Jason Chaffetz, confirmed he will “dive into” the shoot-down of Extortion 17, a helicopter shot down by the Taliban killing 30 American special operators in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011.

The victims’ families met with the congressman in June with the help of their attorney, Larry Klayman, a former prosecutor and founder of Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch. As reported in The Hill, Congressman Chaffetz is prepared to send questions to the Pentagon and hold hearings on the discrepancies in the official report the family members were given by the military.

“There are many questions demanding answers, such as the families of our fallen heroes wanting to know why 7 Afghan commandoes were switched out within minutes of departure of Extortion 17 and why their names are not on the official manifest; why the military did not find the helicopter’s black box, citing that it was washed away in a flash flood; why some of their sons were cremated without permission; and why an imam spoke an Islamic prayer that included language on U.S. soldiers burning in hell at the ramp ceremony,” said Klayman, legal counsel for the families.

Klayman states, “with the commander-in-chief encouraging Washington to ‘keep its eye on the ball’ and not focus on ‘an endless parade of distractions, political posturing, and phony scandals,’ now is the time for Americans to step up to the plate, in what has become a life and death struggle for the heart and soul of the nation. The tragedy of Extortion 17 is a tragedy for all Americans and is even bigger than Benghazi. There we lost four valued American lives; here we sacrificed 30 American soldiers. When we do not protect our brave fighting men and women, we put their lives in harm’s way.

“The families seek support of the American people. This involves not only the tragic death of their sons, but, with the current rules of engagement and lack of power our forces have when fighting the enemy, it involves all current and future military personnel.” The families are available for interviews to discuss congressional inquiry and related matters.

For more information or interview, contact Freedom Watch at daj142182@gmail.com; (424) 274-2579.

HeliHub.com editor note – reports at the time stated the casualty list was 38, consisting of 30 US troops, 7 Afghan and 1 interpreter.  See also 

06-Aug-11 Boeing CH-47D Wardak Province, Afghanistan (38F)

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