- WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S.
military has not changed any procedures or equipment in its war in Afghanistan,
Pentagon officials said, despite a review of a deadly firefight that found
communications problems including one that sent a helicopter into a harrowing
crossfire.
The problems in the March 4 battle for the mountain called Takur Ghar stemmed
from the shortcomings of radios in mountain combat and the confusion inherent
in the "fog of war," officers said. Seven Americans died in the
battle, the deadliest firefight for the United States in the Afghan war.
"That battle showed heroism," said Army Gen. Tommy Franks, the
Afghan war's commander. "It showed fog, uncertainty, it showed friction,
elements common to every war I think we've fought."
The battle came in the midst of Operation Anaconda, the U.S.-led offensive
in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan to surround and destroy a large
group of al-Qaida fighters.
Communications problems included reconnaissance flights that failed to
detect al-Qaida fighters lying in wait in concealed positions atop Takur
Ghar. Troops on the ground and in helicopters also had difficulty raising
their commanders and nearby warplane crews. Franks indicated troops in
the heat of battle may have used the wrong radio frequency.
A key miscommunication allowed a helicopter carrying a team of Army Rangers
to land on the mountaintop instead of a safer area, the officer who investigated
the battle told reporters on condition of anonymity. Five of those killed
were aboard the misdirected helicopter.
Both Franks and the investigator said they believed the commanders of the
battle did the best they could.
"I think their judgments were good," Franks said.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was briefed on the review's findings
Thursday.
"As in most human endeavors, plans are never executed exactly the
way they're developed," Rumsfeld said.
The battle started at about 3 a.m. March 4, when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter
tried to drop a team of Navy SEAL commandos near the top of 10,200-foot
Takur Ghar. Seeing fresh tracks and goatskins, the helicopter crew tried
to leave.
But the al-Qaida fighters there fired machine guns and rocket-propelled
grenades at the chopper. The helicopter was hit, and as it lurched to safety
Navy Petty Officer First Class Neil Roberts tumbled out the rear door.
Roberts survived the fall, but was surrounded and killed by the al-Qaida
fighters. Evidence showed Roberts had tried to fight the enemy and probably
held out for 90 minutes to two hours, the investigator said.
It was unclear if Roberts passed out due to blood loss from other wounds
before being shot at close range, the investigator said. Roberts' body
was found about 15 feet from an al-Qaida bunker at the mountain crest.
After the battle, Maj. Gen. Franklin L. Hagenbeck, commander of some of
the Anaconda troops, said he watched on a video feed from a Predator drone
as al-Qaida fighters encircled Roberts and dragged him away. A gunship
crew circling the mountaintop reported seeing a man they believed was Roberts
surrounded by four to six others, according to an unclassified report on
the battle released Friday.
Meanwhile, a helicopter took Roberts' group of SEALs back to the mountaintop
at about 5 a.m. and dropped them where Roberts fell, taking heavy fire
but managing to leave.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Chapman was killed while charging a bunker at
the base of a large rock. His body was found inside the bunker, near Roberts'
body, the investigator said.
Those commandos fell back, farther down the mountain, and called for a
quick reaction force of Army Rangers.
That group included the eight-member crew of the Chinook, 10 Rangers and
three Air Force fighters. Commanders wanted that helicopter to find a safer
spot than the mountaintop to land. But because of a miscommunication, the
Chinook landed atop the mountain, immediately coming under fire from three
sides and crashing the last 10 feet to the ground.
The investigator said the problem was the Chinook pilot misunderstood the
orders, which were relayed through another person or piece of equipment.
The report said the pilot misunderstood because of gaps in the radio transmission
because of the mountains.
The investigator, himself a Chinook pilot, said flying the helicopter can
be confusing because the pilots can have four or five radios receiving
transmissions simultaneously.
The last Chinook landed around 5:45 a.m. Four of the Rangers were killed
_ two by bullets while they were still in the helicopter, another two as
they tried to get out.
The surviving soldiers battled the al-Qaida for hours before they were
finally evacuated under cover of darkness, at about 8:15 p.m.
An Air Force medic, Senior Airman Jason Cunningham, was wounded trying
to move other injured soldiers out of the line of fire from attacking al-Qaida.
Cunningham bled to death before he could be rescued. Commanders didn't
want to risk a daylight rescue because it would be too dangerous, the report
said.
The task force commander overseeing the battle agonized over that decision,
the investigator said.
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