Copter attackers found, killed in strike

The commander, General John R. Allen of the Marines, said the military in Afghanistan had tracked the insurgents after they shot down the helicopter Saturday, most likely with a rocket-propelled grenade.

A group of insurgents, numbering fewer than 10, were together as the location was hit by an F-16 strike, Allen said. The airstrike occurred Monday, Pentagon officials said.

In a video briefing to the Pentagon from his headquarters in Kabul, Allen said the Chinook helicopter on a weekend mission also took small-arms fire as it entered the Tangi Valley in Wardak Province, just west of Kabul; an investigation has been started to determine the exact cause of the crash.

Those killed Saturday included 22 members of the elite Navy SEALs; three Air Force special-operations personnel; an Army helicopter crew of five; seven Afghan commandos; and a civilian Afghan translator. It was the greatest loss of American life in a single day in nearly 10 years of the war.

The Chinook was called to the scene of a firefight in which Army Rangers were trying to capture or kill a local Taliban leader responsible for a series of attacks.

Allen said the Taliban leader who was the target of the original mission still eludes US and allied forces; he declined to identify the Taliban leader. “We will continue to pursue that network,’’ he said.

The follow-up mission that killed the militants “does not ease our loss,’’ Allen said.

A press statement said the airstrike killed a Taliban leader named Mullah Mohibullah, who was part of the group that shot down the helicopter and escaped.

“After an exhaustive manhunt, Special Operations forces located Mullah Mohibullah and the shooter after receiving multiple intelligence leads and tips from local citizens,’’ the statement said. “The two men were attempting to flee the country in order to avoid capture.’’

The statement said that security forces “located and followed the insurgents to a wooded area in Chak district.’’