Und die Party geht weiter... - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

[Gatsby2]

... oder nein: GWB nennt es den Krieg gegen Terroristen. Jedenfalls solange er (noch) nicht hat, was er wirklich will. Also macht er auf den Philippinen weiter...

Sorry, aber zum Uebersetzen war ich zu faul:

Copter Caught Fire Before Crash
Fri Feb 22, 3:43 PM ET

By ADAM BROWN, Associated Press Writer

APO ISLAND, Philippines (AP) - A U.S. military helicopter apparently
caught fire before plunging into the sea in the southern Philippines before
dawn Friday while participating in a counterterrorism training exercise,
witnesses said.

Three bodies were recovered shortly after the
crash near the tiny island of Apo. The other
seven Americans on board remained missing as
night fell. Little debris had been recovered from
the deep water and swift currents.

No survivors had been found, and Brig. Gen.
Donald Wurster, head of the U.S. forces in the
exercise, said he hoped the missing would be
found alive.

"We are doing everything with our Philippine
friends to find them. These were friends of
mine, so it`s a difficult part of our jobs," he said.

Maj. Paul Fitzpatrick, an Army spokesman at Fort Campbell, Ky., said the
crew was from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and that
the other two men were Air Force para-rescue jumpers. The 160th,
known as the "Night Stalkers," slips special forces commandos behind
enemy lines aboard Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters.

The group was part of a 600-strong U.S. contingent that has come to the
Philippines for six months to help local troops in their battle against the
murderous Abu Sayyaf. The rebel group is holding an American
missionary couple on a nearby island.

The cause of the crash was unknown, but early suspicions focused on
mechanical failure and the Philippine military ruled out hostile fire.

"There was no indication of anything amiss before this thing happened,"
Wurster said.

Charito Tabanera, 37, said he was fishing when he saw the helicopter go
down about 11/2 miles away. "I saw a fireball and it fell into the sea."

Tabanera said the wind was so strong and the waters so choppy that he
couldn`t head in the direction of the crash. Other fisherman said they
thought they had seen a meteorite.

Later in the day, a U.S. military P-3 Orion maritime surveillance plane
made an emergency landing at Mactan — the MH-47E`s planned
destination — after one of its four engines developed problems. There
were no reports of injuries or damage.

U.S. spokeswoman Maj. Cynthia Teramae said the crash would not
affect the current U.S.-Philippines exercise.

Rigoberto Tiglao, spokesman for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, said
she had expressed sympathy to the Americans` families.

"This just goes to show that this support of the United States is not just
any support," Tiglao said of the operation dubbed Balikatan, or `Shoulder
to Shoulder.` "They`re risking the lives of their own soldiers, too."

Officials said the helicopter was one of two that was making night trips
shuttling special forces and supplies from Zamboanga, home to the
Philippine military`s Southern Command, to nearby Basilan, an Abu
Sayyaf stronghold.

Security has been extremely tight for the Americans, with transport
planes landing at night with all lights off. The two helicopters used a
system in which one landed — never turning off its engines — while the
other hovered above as a defensive measure.

[Gatsby2]

OT:

Gute Reaktion, W : O. Schneller hätte man den Thread nicht dorthin sortieren können, wohin er gehört...

[sharky007]

Auf den Philippinen gegen Moslemextremisten vorzugehen macht eine Menge Sinn. Bush kann sich übrigens der Zustimmung des Grossteils der Bevölkerung dort sicher sein. Solltest mal mit Leuten reden die dort her kommen oder eine Zeit gelebt haben.