More info about the helicopter that was shot down earlier this week:
The List of Casualties from this attack contains the following:
2 Colonels
1 Lieutenant Colonel
1 Major
1 Captain
2 Command Sergeant Majors
1 First Sergeant
1 Sergeant First Class
2 Staff Sergeants
1 Corporal
That's one hell of a lot of brass on a single helicopter flight. This could indicate infiltration into the Green Zone of untold proportions.
Let's be clear, half of the manifest includes four field grade officers and two CSMs. That's a huge loss for a small and agile force such as what we've got deployed in Iraq. On top of this fact is also the fact that CSMs are the enlisted equivalent of general officers. CSMs run the army. CSMs can bring any company grade officer down with little effort. The only officers that will generally stand up to a CSM and call them on the carpet would be full bird colonels (two of which were lost on this flight) and command officers (i.e. generals).
The loss of a single CSM can often bring a full brigade to a standstill.
When faced with an insurgency using guerilla tactics, taking out four field grade officers with a single shot is a victory of epic proportions.*
The military indicates it is investigating the event. Two questions must be answered:
1. Why were so many high value targets placed on a single helicopter flight?
2. Who knew so many high value targets would be on this flight, especially who within the Iraqi government and military?
the diarist at dkos says: The loss of this single helictoper is a disaster. This needs to be corrected immediately or no surge, regardless of how many troops are sent in the surge, will do anything but exact a toll in blood and lives.
* Oh, and lets not mention this..
Guess, Robert Gates is doing a 'heck of a job' eh?
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