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thedrifter
04-13-07, 08:17 AM
Troops rescue 5 contractors after chopper fails
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Apr 13, 2007 8:34:19 EDT

KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S. and Afghan troops rescued five civilian contractors pinned down by insurgents in central Afghanistan after their helicopter made an emergency landing due to mechanical failure, a statement from the U.S.-led coalition said Friday.

The helicopter made a distress call before it landed near the village of Oaleh-e Ghafur in Ghazni province Thursday evening before troops, including U.S. special forces, came to the rescue, the statement said.

“The civilian contractors began receiving small-arms fire from Taliban extremists, shortly after the helicopter landed,” the statement said.

A coalition aircraft attacked the militants, leaving three of them dead, it said.

The contractors were evacuated to a nearby coalition base, where they were treated for minor injuries, the statement said.

The coalition did not identify the company or the nationalities of those rescued.

The contractors and military rely heavily on helicopters for transport and operations because of Afghanistan’s forbidding terrain, lack of passable roads and frequent ambushes by Taliban insurgents. Dust and the high altitude of Afghan’s mountains take a heavy toll on helicopter engines.

In February, an Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter carrying 22 U.S. service members crashed after developing a mechanical failure in southern Afghanistan, leaving 8 people dead and 14 wounded.

Ellie