08/08/2011 // WPB, FL, USA // Personal Injury Lawyers News // Nicole Howley

Washington, D.C. — Thirty Americans, including some Navy Seal commandos that killed Osama bin Laden, and eight Afghans were killed when their helicopter was shot down by insurgents—marking the deadliest day for U.S. troops, reports the New York Times.

The Chinook transport helicopter was on a night-raid mission in the Tangi Valley of Wardak Province, west of Kabul, when it was likely shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade, according to officials. The attack occurred around 1 a.m., Saturday, August 6, 2011, following an attack on a Taliban compound in the village of Jaw-e-Mekh Zareen in the Tangi Valley.

Twenty-two of the 30 Americans killed in the attack, in which the Taliban claimed responsibility, were Navy Seal commandos that included members of Navy Seal Team 6.

The Tangi Valley has been called a “stronghold for the Taliban,” by Capt. Kirstin Massey, 31, the assistant intelligence officer for Fourth Brigade Combat Team in an interview last week, the NY Times said.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the helicopter was answering a call for help by another elite military force.

According to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, “The initial team on the ground, not the SEALs, spotted insurgents armed with rocket-propelled grenades in the area and engaged them, and at about the same time issued a call for help,” reported the LA Times.

“These additional personnel were inbound to the scene when the CH-47 carrying them crashed, killing all on board,” the North Atlantic Treaty Organization force said in a statement.

Legal News Reporter: Nicole Howley-Legal news for lawyers.

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