Debunking Two Persistent Myths of the War in Afghanistan
Angry Planet27 Sep 2017

Debunking Two Persistent Myths of the War in Afghanistan

On August 6, 2011, an American Chinook helicopter named Extortion 17 carried 38 people—including 15 members of SEAL Team Six—to an area 40 miles southwest of Kabul. As the helicopter made its final descent to land, a group of insurgents fired an RPG at it. The lucky shot destroyed the helicopter’s rear rotor and the subsequent crash killed everyone on board. It was the greatest loss of life from a single incident in the Afghan war.


This week on War College, journalist Ed Darack walks us through the last moments of Extortion 17. It’s the subject of his new book The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicopter Support, SEAL Team Six, and the Deadliest Day of the U.S. War in Afghanistan. Darack’s meticulous reporting sets the record straight on a tragic accident that’s long been the subject of conspiracy theories.


Pick up a copy of Darack’s book.


You can listen to War College on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or follow our RSS directly. You can reach us on our new Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/warcollegepodcast/; and on Twitter: @War_College.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(498)

America’s Secret Nuclear Upgrades

America’s Secret Nuclear Upgrades

If you just look at the number of warheads, the U.S. nuclear arsenal is a small fraction of the size it was during the Cold War. But is that even the right measure anymore? This week on War College, R...

20 Nov 201723min

A Deadly Warrior’s Peaceful Homecoming

A Deadly Warrior’s Peaceful Homecoming

War is hell and the people who fight often have a hard time coming home. Kevin Lacz didn’t. Lacz is a former U.S. Navy SEAL who served alongside Chris Kyle in the battle of Ramadi. He survived, came h...

13 Nov 201730min

The Apocalyptic Religion of Stalin’s Russia

The Apocalyptic Religion of Stalin’s Russia

Joseph Stalin’s Bolsheviks were atheists. At least in the traditional sense. But that didn’t mean they didn’t believe in prophecy. In fact, it was prophecy that guided their nearly every action.If peo...

6 Nov 201731min

Congress No Longer Sends America to War

Congress No Longer Sends America to War

An ambush killed four U.S. Special Operations soldiers in the North African country of Niger. Before the incident, few Americans had ever heard of Niger and fewer knew American soldiers were fighting ...

30 Okt 201735min

How the Kurds Defeated ISIS and Lost a Nation In the Same Week

How the Kurds Defeated ISIS and Lost a Nation In the Same Week

The Kurds live in Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq but have no country to call their own. When they decided to create one for themselves inside Iraq, it didn’t go well.After Iraq's Kurds held an independ...

23 Okt 201748min

Death Math: Here’s How Many People Would Die in a Nuclear War

Death Math: Here’s How Many People Would Die in a Nuclear War

Tensions between North Korea and the United States are at a fever pitch. The DPRK’s nukes are scary, but once the first missile flies there’s no way to know who might join the fight and how it might e...

16 Okt 201739min

How the Military Is (Quietly) Defying Trump by Battling Climate Change

How the Military Is (Quietly) Defying Trump by Battling Climate Change

Barack Obama ordered the U.S. military to directly prepare for climate change. Donald Trump’s White House reversed that policy.So what’s a general to do?Tara Copp, Pentagon bureau chief for Military T...

9 Okt 201725min

The CIA’s Super-Secret Submarine Scooper

The CIA’s Super-Secret Submarine Scooper

Sometimes the only way a spy agency can hide a secret is under the brightest of spotlights. This week, we talk with author Josh Dean about how the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology works and...

2 Okt 201737min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
popradet
stopp-verden
det-store-bildet
fotballpodden-2
rss-gukild-johaug
nokon-ma-ga
dine-penger-pengeradet
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
hanna-de-heldige
rss-ness
aftenbla-bla
rss-dannet-uten-piano
e24-podden
rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
chit-chat-med-helle