Bombs Rock Afghanistan

A series of powerful bombs killed eight American soldiers and an interpreter in southern Afghanistan early this morning.

From the Washington Post:

The attacks, which came one day after 14 Americans died in two helicopter crashes here, made October the deadliest month for the U.S. military of the eight-year war.

At least 53 U.S. troops have died this month, with four days left before Nov. 1 and the Taliban insurgency continuing to expand its reach and lethal tactics. The previous monthly high was 51 fatalities, in August of this year.

The U.S. military said in a statement that “multiple complex” roadside bomb attacks killed the soldiers and wounded several others. Military officials said at least one of those bombs struck U.S. Army armored vehicles, known as Strykers, in the Argandab area of Kandahar province.

From CNN:

The U.S. military suffered another day of heavy losses in Afghanistan on Tuesday as roadside bombs killed eight U.S. service members, the U.S. military said.

An Afghan civilian working with NATO troops also was killed in the attacks in southern Afghanistan, the military said.

The military gave no further details about the bombings, which it said also wounded several other service members.

The attacks happened a day after 14 Americans were killed in a pair of helicopter crashes in Afghanistan. It was the largest number of Americans killed in Afghanistan in a single day in more than four years.

With the deaths of two troops on Sunday, a total of 24 Americans — most of them military — have been killed in a 48-hour period. That makes October 2009, with 58 fatalities, the deadliest month for the U.S. military since the Afghanistan war began in October 2001.

Bombs in Baghdad Kill at Least 155

Iraqi security forces blocked streets around the capital today and conducted intense searches at checkpoints as authorities investigated the massive security failure that allowed two truck bombs to strike and kill at least 155 people.

From the Associated Press:

The country’s worst attacks in more than two years on Sunday targeted the Justice Ministry and Baghdad Provincial Administration in the heart of the capital, calling into question Iraq’s ability to protect itself as it prepares for January elections and the U.S. military withdrawal.

Fear of more deadly attacks, especially in the run-up to crucial January elections, turned into anger over the government’s failure to keep the country secure.

“Today, we came to work despite the fear inside us,” said Siham Abdul-Karim, 49, an employee of the Culture Ministry located near the site of the bombings and surrounded by police checkpoints on Monday. “We all wonder how could car bombs could reach these institutions.”

There have been no claims of responsibility, but massive car bombs have been the hallmark of Sunni insurgents seeking to overthrow the country’s Shiite-dominated government. It was the second deadly bombing targeting government offices in the area since August, when coordinated blasts against two ministries killed more than 100 people.

The death toll rose to 155 on Monday as Baghdad residents buried the dead. About 500 people were injured, authorities said.

Sixteen Americans Dead as Helicopters Crash in Afghanistan

Helicopter crashes killed 14 Americans today in the deadliest day for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan in more than four years.

From the Associated Press:

In the first crash, a helicopter went down in the west of the country after leaving the scene of a firefight with insurgents, killing 10 Americans — seven troops and three civilians working for the government. Eleven American troops, one U.S. civilian and 14 Afghans were also injured.

In a separate incident, two U.S. Marine helicopters — one UH-1 and an AH-1 Cobra — collided in flight before sunrise over the southern province of Helmand, killing four American troops and wounding two more, Marine spokesman Capt. Bill Pelletier said.

It was the heaviest single-day loss of life since June 28, 2005, when 16 U.S. troops on a special forces helicopter died when their MH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down by insurgents.

U.S. authorities have ruled out hostile fire in the collision but have not given a cause for the other fatal crash in the west. Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmedi claimed Taliban fighters shot down a helicopter in northwest Badghis province’s Darabam district. It was impossible to verify the claim and unclear if he was referring to the same incident.

From CNN:

Fourteen Americans died in two separate helicopter crashes in Afghanistan on Monday, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force said — 10 in one incident and four in the other.

It was the largest number of Americans killed in Afghanistan in a single day in at least four years, according to CNN records.

ISAF ruled out enemy fire in the crash that killed four Americans, and said enemy action was not thought to be the cause of the other.

In the deadlier crash, a helicopter went down in the country’s west.

“Seven U.S. service members and three U.S. civilians were killed,” an ISAF statement said. “Those injured include 14 Afghan service members, 11 U.S. service members and one U.S. civilian.”

Search Continues Following Hudson River Crash

New York police are continuing a search of the Hudson River for the last two bodies from a midair collision between a plane and a helicopter which killed all nine passengers on board.

From the AFP:

“The priority today is the victim recovery operation. There were seven victims that were recovered and two that remain unrecovered,” Debbie Hersman, from the National Transportation Safety Board, said on NY1 television.

The NTSB is leading the probe into Saturday’s accident in which a light airplane carrying three people smashed into a sightseeing helicopter with six people aboard, five of them Italian tourists.

The collision took place over the Hudson between Manhattan and New Jersey at around midday in full view of crowds enjoying the riverside sunshine.

The aircraft and bodies quickly disappeared underwater.

The wreckage of the helicopter was removed from the water Sunday in a search hampered by dangerous diving conditions in the murky, fast-flowing river.

Army Helicopter Crashes at Texas A&M

According to local authroities, a Black Hawk helicopter carrying six people crashed this afternoon on the campus of Texas A&M University, killing one.

From Fox News:

The helicopter crashed at about 3:30 p.m. near the Corps of Cadets field on the school’s College Station campus, about 100 miles northwest of Houston. A crew of four and an Army lieutenant assigned to the school’s ROTC unit were the only ones aboard the Blackhawk, Texas A&M spokesman Lane Stephenson said. No students were among the injured.

Melissa Purl, spokeswoman for College Station Medical Center, said three men were taken to that hospital. All three were in critical condition. Another crash victim was at St. Joseph Regional Health Center in Bryan, a spokesman said.

Officials did not release the names of the dead and injured.

Witnesses told the Bryan-College Station Eagle they saw five Blackhawk helicopters taking off and landing throughout the day.

8 Killed in Louisiana Helicopter Crash

Eight people were killed after a helicopter bound for the offshore oil fields crashed Sunday afternoon in marshlands about 100 miles southwest of New Orleans.

From the Associated Press:

The helicopter, operated by PHI Inc., crashed about 3:30 p.m. shortly after taking off from PHI’s base in Amelia, said Richard Rovinelli, a spokesman for the company. The cause of the crash isn’t clear. Rovenilli did not know the type of helicopter or its exact destination.

He said the helicopter was carrying two pilots and six passengers. Identities of the victims have not yet been released. Rovinelli said the survivor was taken to a local hospital.

The National Transportation Safety Board has been advised of the crash and investigators were expected to arrive Monday, Rovinelli said.

Petty Officer Jaclyn Young told The Times-Picayune newspaper the Coast Guard assisted Terrebonne Parish sheriff’s deputies in searching for and recovering the bodies of the dead and rescuing the survivor. A spokesman for the sheriff’s office could not be reached for comment.

Lafayette-based PHI is a primary provider of helicopter services to oil and gas platforms that dot the coast of Louisiana. It also flies medical helicopters.

Workers typically are flown to and from their worksites from coastal flight bases.