Extortion 17 was the name of the helicopter (call sign Extortion One Seven), which was shot down by the Taliban on August 6, 2011. The single deadliest event during the War on Terror. Watch this info graphic to learn the basics of the Extortion 17 shoot down.
Shoot down of Extortion 17. August 6, 2011
National Press Club, 2013
Congressional Hearing. February 27, 2014.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?318022-1/hearing-extortion-17-casualties
Defense Department officials and military leaders testified at a hearing on the investigation of the August 2011 death of 30 U.S. servicemen in Afghanistan after the Taliban fired a rocket on their helicopter. Afghanistan: Honoring the Heroes of Extortion 17. Subcommittee on National security of the Committee on Oversight and government Reform House of Representatives.
TIMELINE
We asked ChatGPT of the timeline of Extortion 17…proceed with caution as there are facts mixed in with lies, it was not an RPG.
The downing of Extortion 17, the call sign for a Chinook helicopter that was shot down in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011, resulting in the deaths of 30 U.S. service members, including 17 Navy SEALs, remains one of the deadliest single-day losses for U.S. forces in the entire Afghan War. The timeline of events leading up to the downing of Extortion 17 is complex and contested, with many questions still remaining about what exactly happened on that fateful day.
The mission that led to the downing of Extortion 17 was part of a broader operation to capture or kill high-value targets in the Tangi Valley of Wardak Province, Afghanistan. The mission was approved by top military officials, including General David Petraeus, who was the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan at the time.
The Chinook helicopter carrying the service members took off from Forward Operating Base Bastion in Helmand Province, and was accompanied by several other aircraft, including two AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and a pair of AC-130 gunships. The operation was planned as a night raid, with the Chinook scheduled to land near a compound where the high-value targets were believed to be located.
As the helicopter approached the landing zone, it was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, causing it to crash and resulting in the deaths of all 30 service members on board. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, and reports later emerged that they had been tipped off about the mission by an Afghan informant.
The timeline of events leading up to the downing of Extortion 17 has been the subject of much controversy and speculation. Some have questioned the decision to use a Chinook helicopter for the mission, given that it was a slow and unwieldy aircraft that made for an easy target. Others have questioned the decision to proceed with the mission despite the warnings of Joni Marquez, the Air Force intelligence analyst who had identified a group of Taliban fighters moving in on the landing zone.
Despite these questions, the timeline of events leading up to the downing of Extortion 17 remains largely uncontested. What is clear is that 30 U.S. service members lost their lives in service of their country, and that their sacrifice should never be forgotten.