US searches for 'recce' team

The US military was using "all available assets" yesterday to search for a US reconnaissance team that went missing just before a helicopter coming to help them was shot down in eastern Afghanistan, killing all aboard. US forces had been searching for...

The US military was using "all available assets" yesterday to search for a US reconnaissance team that went missing just before a helicopter coming to help them was shot down in eastern Afghanistan, killing all aboard.

US forces had been searching for the team since Tuesday's crash in mountainous Kunar province bordering Pakistan, but had no reason to believe any of its members had been killed or captured, US military spokesman Col. Jim Yonts said.

He said he could "not confirm or deny" a claim by Taliban spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi that the insurgents killed seven US "spies" before the MH-47 helicopter was shot down, killing all 16 Special Forces soldiers on board.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.