Agence France Presse

Kabul, July 1:

US forces are searching for a missing American reconnaissance team four days after a special forces helicopter sent in to extract them was shot down in Afghanistan, the US military said today. “We have not located them as of yet, but we are doing active patrolling to find our missing US service members,” US military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jerry O’Hara said. He did not say how many troops were in the team. Sixteen personnel, including eight elite US Navy SEALs, were killed when an MH-47 Chinook helicopter was downed by a rocket propelled grenade fired by militants in eastern Kunar province on Tuesday, the US military said. “The helicopter went in to lift them (the reconnaissance team) out of that area,” O’Hara added. Afghanistan’s ousted hardline Taliban regime have claimed responsibility for downing the Chinook. The rebels said earlier this week that the downed helicopter was flying in to rescue seven Afghans “working as spies for the Americans”, who were later executed.

US spokesman O’Hara said the Afghans were also missing but could not say if they had been killed. “I read those reports, but since we don’t know where our guides are right now, we have no proof of anything other than that they are missing,” he added.