Spain: 'Copter possibly shot down

[jayfish]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/08/16/afghan.crash/index.html

<SNIP>
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Spain's defense minister says he has not ruled out hostile fire as the cause of a helicopter crash in Afghanistan that killed 17 Spanish soldiers.

"It could have been an accident or an attack," Jose Bono said, speaking to reporters at the Defense Ministry in Madrid. "The causes have not been fully clarified."

The troops -- among the forces providing security support for next month's elections in Afghanistan -- were serving under NATO command as part of a Spanish contingent of about 800 peacekeeping troops there. Most Spanish troops are based in Herat, in western Afghanistan.
</SNIP>

Didn't NATO come out this morning and claim the chopper was not shot down? Typical...

Jay

[cliss]

1. Somethingj's not adding up here -

I thought Spain pulled out all of its troops, along with the election of Senor Zapatero last year.

Didn't he reassure his citizens that that was the First order of priority? Didn't they have a train bombing in Madrid to drive home the point?

[karynnj]

2. They pulled them out of IRAQ

not Afganistan

[geek tragedy]

3. They pulled out of Iraq. They reaffirmed their commitment to Afghanistan.

[daleo]

4. Canada has substantial troops in Afghanistan too

The general involved was recently spouting off about "killing scumbags" and how we would have to get used to military deaths. It looks like Afghanistan is going to get hot for everybody. No surprise really - I think Afghanis tolerated western troops for a while, but are beginning to feel like enough is enough.

It took a while for them to decide to oust the Russians. They may not be too unified, but they can rally around the notion of getting foreign troops out of their country.

[NNN0LHI]

5. It was two helicopters that "landed hard". Not one n/t

[bemildred]

6. Spanish helicopter in Afghanistan was attacked, say witnesses

A Spanish military helicopter that crashed in Afghanistan killing all 17 soldiers aboard was attacked, according to eyewitness reports carried in the Spanish press.

"We all felt a strong impact, like an explosion, and our helicopter began turning until it fell to the ground," said a soldier who was in a second Spanish helicopter affected by the blast, and who was among the five soldiers injured in the incident, which occurred on Tuesday near the western city of Herat.

The soldier, who was interviewed by phone by the La Voz de Galicia newspaper, did not give his name.

"The others, the ones in front, must have been hit full blast," he was quoted as saying.

http://www.turkishpress.com/nw.asp?s=i&i=050817090605.sc3igy5f&t=Spanish%20helicopter%20in%20Afghanistan%20was%20attacked,%20say%20witnesses