Upon Another Shore

Extortion 17, and the Story of a Curious Friendship

by

Kirsten Bayes

 

بې وروره مه شې که هر څو زورور یي
د ورور په شا باندې دښمن سترګې وهینه

May you never be without a brother, even if you are strong.
The brother at your back catches the enemy's glances.
- Pashto Landay, anonymous.

Extortion 17

In the early morning of Aug 6th, 2011, a US Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter, call-sign “Extortion 17” flew into the Tangi Valley in Maidan Wardak, Afghanistan. On board were 38 people: 5 crew members from the US Army National Guard and Reserve, and 33 passengers.

The passengers included several squads of assault troops: a troop of fifteen SEALs from Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG); two other SEALs from a West Coast SEAL team; and seven commandos from an Afghan partner force.

Supporting the assaulters was a squad of eight specialists: a Navy technical expert in communications, and another in signals intelligence; two explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians; a Navy dog handler, and his dog; two US Air Force pararescue medics (PJs) and a Combat Controller to coordinate aircraft. They were assisted by an Afghan interpreter, the only civilian on the flight.

As it approached its landing zone, Extortion 17 was attacked by Taliban troops. They were a small team, young men from villages in the area, and equipped with rocket-propelled grenades, OG-7Vs. Designed to detonate with a lethal bloom of shrapnel, these were formidable weapons.

The attackers fired a volley from a range of about 200 metres. At least two, but more likely three, fired into the dark at the approaching helicopter.

One of the rounds struck a blade on the rear rotor of the twin engined helicopter. It detonated, spraying the helicopter with hot metal and shearing off 3m of the blade. This caused the catastrophic destruction of the aircraft.

There were no survivors.

US Army Rangers who had been operating in the area hurried to the scene, braving random fire and roadside bombs to do so. Soon, a massive recovery and security effort was underway.

Within hours of the incident, casualty assistance officers began calling on the families in the US, letting them know the news; within days, flights home were to be arranged, post mortems carried out, and burials or cremations planned.

Meanwhile the attackers fled, but were soon being tracked by US intelligence. They would not live long.

At the time, I knew none of this, nor would I know much about it for some years afterwards.

Next, go to Part 1 The Friendship, and meet some of those onboard Extortion 17.

Or, go to Part 2 The Investigation to uncover the causes of the shootdown through the battlefield analysis, including maps.

Go to the About page, to understand more about this project.