Fox reporting weather-related, entire crew is safe.

-- Anonymous, November 02, 2001

Answers

Friday November 2 6:57 PM ET

U.S. Helicopter Down in Afghanistan, Crew Rescued

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. helicopter on a special forces mission inside Afghanistan (news - web sites) was forced down by bad weather on Friday and a second helicopter on the same mission rescued the crew who are all safe, CBS reported.

Crew from both helicopters are now safely out of Afghanistan, it said, and the United States was getting ready to call for an air strike to destroy the downed helicopter.

-- Anonymous, November 02, 2001

BBC Saturday, 3 November, 2001, 07:49 GMT

Elite US troops rescued after crash F14 fighters were used to destroy the crashed helicopter

A team of US special forces has been rescued after their helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, American defence officials say.

A statement said four people were injured in the crash-landing, which was blamed on severe weather not enemy fire.

For their part, the Taleban authorities say they shot down two American helicopters.

It is the first time the US has admitted losing an aircraft since the military campaign against the Taleban regime and the al-Qaeda terrorist network began on 7 October.

The Pentagon said it was one of two helicopters on a special operation inside Afghanistan, and was forced down by bad weather.

The crew of the downed aircraft are said to have been safely transferred to the second helicopter and taken out of Afghan territory.

Heavy fighting

According to a Pentagon official, F14 Tomcat fighters were sent from the USS Theodore Roosevelt to destroy the damaged helicopter.

It is unclear where in Afghanistan the incident took place, although the Pentagon has previously admitted that US special forces are operating in Afghanistan.

Much of their activity has been centred around the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif - the scene of heavy fighting between the Northern Alliance and the Taleban.

Helicopters grounded

There has been no independent verification of the American version of events.

The Taleban consul in Peshawar, Mowlawi Najibollah, told the Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news agency that two US helicopters had been shot down as they bombed the district of Nawar in the southern province of Ghazni.

Rear Admiral John Stufflebeem of the Joint Chiefs of Staff earlier told reporters in Washington that freezing rain had made it impossible to use helicopters to deploy the troops.

"Within the last 24 hours it would be fair to report that the weather has been hampering our efforts," he said.

His comments came a day after US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the US planned to significantly increase the numbers of American troops on the ground in Afghanistan.

There have been renewed bombing raids in Central Afghanistan on Saturday morning, north of the capital, Kabul.

In other developments:

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld starts a five-nation tour of Russia, Central and South Asia to bolster support for the offensive against the Taleban A 17th case of anthrax is confirmed in the US as the FBI makes another appeal for help The Taleban consul in Pakistan says the movement's leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, and Bin Laden have been protected from any "American harm" The Taleban are carrying out a massive manhunt for rebel leader Hamid Karzai - an aide to the exiled former king - who narrowly missed capture after Taleban troops raided his hideout in Uruzgan province New York Mayor Giuliani attacks firefighters protest at plans to scale back hunt for bodies as unacceptable The US recession deepens, as figures show that almost half a million jobs were lost in the wake of the terror attacks.

The attacks were carried out by B52 bomber planes and F18 fighter jets.

A BBC correspondent in Afghanistan says that columns of smoke could be seen swirling skywards across the Shomali plain, which runs from the Panjshir Valley to Kabul.

Over the last four days, the US has stepped up its raids and says it is now using all its capacity against the Taleban.

For their part, the Taleban are dug in across the plains and hills and a local Northern Alliance commander claims the sound of approaching aircraft provides too much advance notice of an imminent attack.

The US-led military campaign is being waged against Osama Bin Laden, the Islamic militant suspected of masterminding the 11 September terror attacks on New York and Washington, and his Taleban protectors.

The White House has reiterated that bombing will not be suspended during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins in mid-November.

Several Islamic leaders had voiced fears that a continuation of the raids during Ramadan could cause major unrest in their countries.

President George W Bush said: "The enemy won't rest during Ramadan and neither will we. We're going to pursue this war until we achieve our objectives."

-- Anonymous, November 02, 2001