Nine military personnel, including a young man from New Jersey, were killed after the helicopter they were traveling in crashed in Afghanistan, officials said.
The crash happened in the Zambul province of Southern Afghanistan on Sept. 21.
Three of the men aboard were Navy SEALs and another was a Naval Special Warfare support technician. The remaining five were U.S. Army air crew members. Three others are in critical condition.
The names of the deceased Navy members are Lt. Brendan Looney, 29, of Owings, Md., Senior Chief Cryptologic Technician David McLendon, 30, of Thomasville, Ga., Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Adam Smith, 26, of Hurland, Mo., and Special Warfare Operator 3rd Class Denis Miranda, 24, of Toms River, N.J.
Miranda entered the Navy in September 2003 and attended aviation technical training at NAS Pensacola, Fla., the Navy said. He was accepted to BUD/S in early 2007, and after SEAL qualification training, he was assigned to an east coast SEAL team. Teammates described him as a budding superstar with promise of a successful career as a Navy SEAL, Navy officials said.
"On behalf of the entire Naval Special Warfare community -- we extend our sincerest condolences to all the families of our fallen brothers, our Navy SEALs and support tech, Army air crewmen, and coalition personnel," said Rear Adm. Edward Winters, commander, Naval Special Warfare Command. "Our prayers are with these families during this very difficult time."
The men on board were supporting a special operations mission, officials said.
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A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, told the Associated Press by telephone Tuesday that insurgents shot down the helicopter. but the Taliban often exaggerate their claims and sometimes take credit for accidents.
"The Taliban are not involved in this crash at all," said Mohammad Jan Rasoolyar, a spokesman for the provincial governor in Zabul. "The investigation is still going on, but the military told us that the helicopter crashed due to technical problems."
So far this year, at least 524 U.S. and NATO forces have been killed in Afghanistan, surpassing the 504 killed last year. This year has been the deadliest for international forces since the war began in 2001.
Tuesday's helicopter crash took place not far from Chanaryan village, but there was no damage to buildings, Rasoolyar said. U.S. and Romanian forces make up most of the NATO contingent in Zabul province.
“These men bravely and unselfishly answered the nation's call to defend freedom and protect the nation and its allies from terrorism,” said Rear Adm. Winters. “The loss of these brave warriors will only strengthen our resolve in the fight against extremism and terror.”
