Military Operations
Operation Red Wings
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Operation Red Wings was a United States military operation in Afghanistan's Kunar Province beginning 27 June 2005, intended to disrupt an anti-coalition militia led by Ahmad Shah. A four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance team was compromised by local goat herders and ambushed by Taliban fighters, and a helicopter sent to reinforce them was shot down, killing all sixteen aboard. Only one SEAL, Marcus Luttrell, survived the initial engagement, and the operation extended roughly three more weeks into search-and-rescue efforts.
Facts
Operation TypeSpecial-forces reconnaissance and rescue 1 LocationSawtalo Sar mountain, Kunar Province, Afghanistan 1 ParticipantsU.S. Navy SEALs (SEAL Team 10), 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment 1 ObjectiveDisrupt anti-coalition militia activity under Ahmad Shah ahead of the September 2005 Afghan parliamentary elections 1 OutcomeNineteen U.S. servicemen were killed, including three of four SEALs on the reconnaissance team and eight aviators aboard a shot-down helicopter; one SEAL, Marcus Luttrell, was rescued 1 Sources
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