'This is just an Extraordinarily Bad Day for America'

Claire Berlinski of Ricochet on the death of 31 US Special Forces members in Afghanistan:

This is just an extraordinarily bad day for America.

Thirty-one U.S. special forces members in Afghanistan died aboard a NATO helicopter that crashed Saturday in an area reported to have insurgent activity, officials said.

The crash occurred in the eastern province of Wardak, Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s office said in a statement.

It is among the worst single-day losses of American lives in the Afghan war.

Reportedly, the helicopter was shot down. The Taliban are taking credit, but they would. If indeed they shot it down, it is very alarming–the obvious question would be, with what?

There will be a great deal more news and analysis, I’m sure, in the next twenty-four hours.

Steve Hayward asks, “Time for Another Hard Look at Our ‘Allies?'”

Associated Press is reporting that the helicopter that crashed, apparently under fire, in Afghanistan, has killed 20 members of Seal Team 6, the same unit that nailed Bin Laden.  It is not clear yet whether it may in fact be some of the same individuals from Seal Team 6 who were on the Bin Laden mission–that information we’re likely never to find out.  But either way, it seems doubtful this is a coincidence.  I hope a congressional committee will not accept the State Department and Pentagon line on what happened, and inquires whether Bin Laden sympathizers in Pakistan’s ISI, or inside the Afghan government, played some role in targeting and bringing down this crew.

This last item isn’t related to the above news, other than adding to the overall grimness of this post. But I’ve been meaning to link to Michelle Malkin’s reminder from yesterday that “Five months ago today, my 18-year-old cousin Marizela Perez vanished from the University District in Seattle near the campus of the University of Washington, where she was a freshman:”

The police have made no new progress in her missing persons case. Since I last updated you in July, we’ve had no new leads or breaks — and there still has been no sign or word from Marizela.

We thank everyone around the country who continues to keep their eyes and ears open — and everyone who continues to keep Marizela and her parents in their thoughts and prayers.

Read the whole thing, particularly if you’re in the Seattle/Washington State area.