Seven Americans killed in action in Afghanistan

By Robert Burns

Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Seven American soldiers were killed and 40 were wounded Monday when two U.S. helicopters took enemy fire during the most deadly allied air and ground offensive of the war in Afghanistan.

The U.S. assault, code-named Operation Anaconda, marked a new approach. Instead of relying on Afghan forces to take the fight to the al-Qaida, with U.S. troops in support, the Americans took the lead. Afghan, Canadian, Australian, German, Danish, Norwegian and French forces were supporting.

Fighting was fierce, by all accounts, in difficult conditions.

U.S. ground troops and pilots were operating at elevations between 8,000 and 11,000 feet, said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, cold, icy and snowy “like the Rocky Mountains in the middle of the winter.”

Army officials said Apache attack helicopters had been hit with extraordinary amounts of small arms fire but were able to continue their assaults. Air Force AC-130 gunships, armed with howitzers and 40mm cannon, were serving as the ground troops’ airborne artillery.

Air Force bombers and Navy and Air Force strike aircraft had dropped more than 350 bombs by Monday.

The men killed Monday were not the first U.S. casualties in the new offensive, which appeared far from finished. Army Chief Warrant Officer Stanley Harriman, 34, of Wade, N.C., was killed in a ground attack Saturday shortly after American forces, joined by Afghan and other allied troops, began the offensive against hundreds of fighters of the al-Qaida terror network and the former ruling Taliban militia dug in near the town of Gardez.

Details on the two helicopter incidents were sketchy.

“The fog of war will persist” until more of the soldiers involved are brought back and debriefed, Army Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of U.S. Central Command, told a news conference in Tampa, Fla., where he is headquartered.

In the first incident, an MH-47 Chinook helicopter ferrying a reconnaissance force to the area came under fire as it approached its landing zone. It landed under control, but when it lifted off, a soldier fell out of the aircraft. Franks said the crew did not realize it had lost him until it had left.

More than three hours later and about four miles away, another MH-47 Chinook brought in troops to fight the al-Qaida forces. The helicopter came under machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire and was forced to make what Franks called a “controlled” crash landing.

The soldiers aboard the helicopter immediately came under fire and left the chopper to return fire, Pentagon officials said. Franks was unsure whether the casualties were sustained in the landing, the firefight or a combination of the two.

Besides the soldier lost when he fell from his chopper, officials said six soldiers were killed in the second incident. Franks had said seven or eight were killed in the second incident, but officials revised the count later Monday.

Franks said all the killed and wounded were recovered in a subsequent rescue operation that he watched unfold from his Tampa headquarters by video link.

Rumsfeld said about half of the 40 wounded soldiers had returned to battle.

Names of the Americans killed Monday were being withheld until relatives could be notified.

The American deaths underscored not only the dangers in pursuing President Bush’s declared goal of eliminating Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida but also the difficulty of assaulting what Pentagon officials say are well-armed and well-organized pockets of al-Qaida resistance in eastern Afghanistan.

The operation is being led by Maj. Gen. Franklin Hagenbeck, commanding general of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division.

Franks said the U.S.-led offensive was planned for several weeks and had as its objective a 60-square-mile area south of Gardez. He said about 1,000 Afghan troops were serving as a blocking force on the perimeter of the area to hem in the enemy and prevent large numbers from escaping.

Franks estimated that 100 to 200 enemy fighters had been killed and a small number taken as “detainees.” He said they included al-Qaida fighters, Taliban militia and Chechen and Uzbek fighters.

“We intend to continue to the operation until those al-Qaida and Taliban who remain are either surrendered or killed. The choice is theirs,” Rumsfeld told a Pentagon news conference.

Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, disputed suggestions that the U.S. force, which numbered 800 to 900 men and including Army special forces soldiers and members of the 101st Airborne and 10th Mountain divisions, had underestimated al-Qaida resistance. He and Rumsfeld spoke confidently of winning the battle.

“When we began this operation, we knew that the al-Qaida and their supporters there would have two choices: to run or stay and fight,” Myers said. “It seems they have chosen to stay and to fight to the last, and we hope to accommodate them.”

Rumsfeld stressed that the battle probably would continue for some days, and he did not rule out sending in reinforcements.

He said several Afghan allied troops had been killed in the offensive but offered no specific number. He said enemy forces sustained “much larger” losses.

The death toll Monday represented the largest U.S. loss from a single battle in Afghanistan, where the fighting began Oct. 7. There have been several accidental crashes of other craft, including one in which seven Marines were killed when a refueling plane crashed in Pakistan.

Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Alina Langbehn, 6, center, and Vera A., 6, right, sit on a swing together at Drew Nielsen Neighborhood Park after school on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council votes to renovate Drew Nielsen Park

Construction on the $345,000 upgrade could start as early as this fall.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

Lynnwood councilor Joshua Binda speaks during a Lynnwood City Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Does the Lynnwood Council VP live in Lynnwood? It’s hard to say.

Josh Binda’s residency has been called into question following an eviction and FEC filings listing an Everett address. He insists he lives in Lynnwood.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

An American Robin picks a berry from a holly tree on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Calling all birders for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count

The Audubon Society will hold its 28th annual Great Backyard… Continue reading

A view of one of the potential locations of the new Aquasox stadium on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. The site sits between Hewitt Avenue, Broadway, Pacific Avenue and the railroad. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Initial prep work for AquaSox stadium to start, with $200k price tag

The temporary agreement allows some surveying and design work as the city negotiates contracts with designers and builders.

Aaron Kennedy / The Herald
The Joann Fabric and Crafts store at 7601 Evergreen Way, Everett, is one of three stores in Snohomish County that will close as part of the retailer’s larger plan to shutter more than half of its stores nationwide.
Joann store closure plan includes Everett, Arlington, Lynnwood locations

The retail giant filed a motion in court to close approximately 500 stores in the U.S.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.