On August 6, 2011, tragedy struck the U.S. special operations community when a Chinook helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, was shot down in Afghanistan’s Tangi River Valley. The aircraft carried 38 people, including 22 members of the elite Navy SEAL Team 6, along with other U.S. military personnel and seven Afghan soldiers. This marked the deadliest single loss of American life in the Afghan War and the worst battlefield calamity in the history of the Navy SEALs.
The incident occurred just months after SEAL Team 6 had successfully executed Operation Neptune Spear, the mission that resulted in the killing of Osama bin Laden. The connection between these two events has fueled speculation and controversy, with many questioning whether Extortion 17 was targeted as an act of revenge.
The Alleged Betrayal and Political Fallout
One of the most contentious claims surrounding this tragedy is that the SEALs were betrayed by their own government. In the days following the bin Laden raid, then-Vice President Joe Biden publicly acknowledged the involvement of SEAL Team 6 in the operation. While intended as a gesture of praise, many within the military community saw this as a dangerous disclosure that put a target on the backs of SEAL Team 6 operators.
Aaron Vaughn, one of the SEALs killed in the Extortion 17 incident, reportedly told his family to remove any references to SEAL Team 6 from social media, fearing potential retaliation. “Biden has just put a huge target on everybody,” he warned his mother, Karen Vaughn. This sentiment was echoed by others who believed that the unit, which typically operated in secrecy, was now at an increased risk.
However, multiple independent fact-checkers, including Snopes, PolitiFact, and the Associated Press, have found no evidence that Biden disclosed the names of the SEAL Team 6 members involved in Operation Neptune Spear. Investigations concluded that the downing of Extortion 17 was not a pre-planned revenge attack.
Unanswered Questions and Conspiracies
Despite the official narrative, many questions remain unanswered:
- Why was Extortion 17 flying without aerial backup, a standard procedure for special forces missions?
- Why was the Chinook, an older helicopter from the 1960s, chosen for this high-risk operation?
- Why were the seven Afghan soldiers who boarded at the last minute different from those on the flight manifest?
- Why was the helicopter’s black box never recovered, with officials claiming it was washed away in a flash flood—an extremely rare occurrence in that region?
- Why were the bodies of the fallen SEALs cremated without prior approval from their families?
Some, including the families of the fallen, have raised concerns about a possible inside job. Afghanistan’s government at the time had well-documented ties to al-Qaeda sympathizers, leading to speculation that the Taliban was tipped off about the SEALs’ arrival. Witnesses reported that the Chinook was attacked from multiple sides in what appeared to be a well-coordinated ambush.
The military claims the helicopter was destroyed by a shoulder-fired missile, leaving all aboard burned beyond recognition. However, Charles Strange, the father of fallen SEAL Michael Strange, disputed this account, stating that he had seen photos of his son’s body intact, clutching his gun. He questioned why the military cremated his son without the family’s consent, reinforcing suspicions of a cover-up.
The Fight for Justice
Families of the fallen SEALs have spent years seeking answers. They have called for full transparency and accountability, pressing Congress to investigate the circumstances surrounding Extortion 17. Lawmakers such as Rep. Jason Chaffetz and Rep. Darrell Issa have pushed for official probes, hoping to uncover the truth behind the tragedy.
SEAL-gate has been compared to the Benghazi scandal, with accusations that the administration and top military brass have sought to cover up key details. Critics argue that strict rules of engagement—such as restrictions on firing into civilian areas and limitations on night operations—have made U.S. troops vulnerable to ambushes, making incidents like Extortion 17 inevitable.
While official reports attribute the incident to enemy fire, lingering doubts persist. The combination of questionable operational decisions, alleged breaches of protocol, and restrictive rules of engagement has only deepened suspicions.
Final Thoughts
The debate over Extortion 17 remains one of the most controversial topics in modern military history. Whether it was simply a tragic accident or a preventable disaster linked to political recklessness, one thing is clear: the brave warriors of SEAL Team 6 deserve justice, and their families deserve the truth.
Update: Fact Check (September 2020)
According to independent fact-checkers, including USA TODAY, Snopes, FactCheck.org, and Reuters, the claim that Joe Biden leaked the names of SEAL Team 6 members is false. There is no verified evidence that he disclosed sensitive information leading to the downing of Extortion 17. Investigations have also concluded that the attack was not a targeted revenge operation.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Spec Ops Magazine.
God bless Our military. Prayers for the families. Praying Aaron Vaughn really is alive and ready to take our country back! He deserves to be on the firing squad for Biden and Obama.
Maybe the chopper being shot down was a staged attack, to “kill” the Seals. This may have been done to stop the hunt for them and their families. If the world and maybe even their families think they’re dead, both them and their families would be safe. If it kept your family alive, wouldn’t YOU fake your death? This is the only angle that I have not heard discussed. Maybe this comment will give some hope to all those who’s friends and loved ones died. P.S. Liberty or Death.
I really wish you people would learn to proof read. That being said, no one killed Bin Laden. Prove me wrong. Show me the body. The whole thing was a staged pile of BS to make Obama and Biden look good and get their friends (The Bin Laden’s) to safety. The only witnesses, ST6, were murdered by Joe Biden and Barak Hussein Obama. The only ST6 member not killed is the one being touted as the shooter. why was he not on the helicopter with his team? Why is he still alive, given that every member of Al Quaeda is trying to find and kill him? Riddle me this. If you were a multibillionaire terrorist with access to WMD, wouldn’t you have an insurance policy to guarantee you would not be assassinated? I know I would.
The government has lied for too many years! We will never be told the truth again. God bless our Navy Seals and all service members! And please bless Donald Trump !
Isn’t it interesting over the years how some of these articles have been updated to save Biden who is unequivocally America’s worst traitor. First of all the Joe Biden everybody’s been seeing for the past four years was not the real Joe Biden. Please do your forensic homework. Scrutinize, his face, scrutinize, his body language, scrutinize his signatures. The guy you’ve been watching is left-handed while the real Biden was right handed. Haven’t you noticed somethings off with politics? The mainstream media has been pulling a weekend at Bernie’s pass off an old central casting actor as the president.
Hillary Clinton was smuggling weapons to Isis and John McCain was funneling aid to Isis. John McCain was helping to make the videos, showing Americans having their heads cut off, while the media glorified it on television to install fear and panic. The weapons used to shoot down seal team six. They came from Benghazi. Open source are you gonna do is dig but you’re gonna have to dig hard because our enemies are deleting and using a using an artificial intelligence to hide the information.
Bruh first of all Bin laden is dead and was killed by the navy seals. Go watch the new Netflix series about it and the Guy actually shot and killed bin laden. and second of there is actually no proof that they were betrayed by our country, and there is no actual proof that Aaron Vaun is still alive because, and there is no proof that the weapons used in Benghazi were used to shoot down the helicopter, just think about Retarded Motherfuckers it’s just a conspiracy theory they’re not actually true retards
I know two Navy Seals so with regards to Benghazi, Obama was the only one who could give the order to not rescue those 4 people there! He let them be killed so they could not talk. He was trying to hide what he was doing there.
Biden DID say Seal Team 6 killed Bin Laden and that put a target on their backs and the result was they were all killed. I would think what I was told was the truth about these two situations from Seal Team members..