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Combat Talon II crashes in Albania; nine killed
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]By Vince Crawley[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Times staff writer[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]An MC-130-H airplane crashed in a remote central Albanian area, killing nine American personnel aboard. Albanian and American rescuers on Friday recovered four bodies from the wreckage of the plane, which was taking part in a joint exercise with Albanian forces. The dead were all American. — Hektor Pustina / AP Photo[/font]
[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Nine U.S. service members were aboard a special operations aircraft that crashed in a rugged area of Albania late Thursday, the U.S. European Command said Friday morning.
The Associated Press reports that search teams recovered the bodies of the nine Americans, citing Albanian military authorities. Four bodies were found earlier Friday, and five more were found inside the plane, Albanian officials said.
The MC-130H Combat Talon II aircraft was assigned to the 352nd Special Operations Group out of RAF Mildenhall, England, when it crashed about 65 miles southeast of Tirana, the Albanian capital, officials said.
The aircraft was on a night training mission with the Albanian military as part of the Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) program.
Albania, seeking eventual membership in NATO, has close ties to the U.S. military. It backed the American-led campaign in Iraq, where it has deployed a small unit of 71 troops. Albania also has peacekeeping contingents in Afghanistan and in nearby Bosnia.
The U.S. ambassador to Albania, Marcie B. Ries, thanked Qazimi for the search effort.
“This is an example of the excellent cooperation existing between the United States and Albania,” Ries said. “We are very grateful for the tremendous support from the Albanian military.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report. [/font]
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[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]By Vince Crawley[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Times staff writer[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/font]
[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Nine U.S. service members were aboard a special operations aircraft that crashed in a rugged area of Albania late Thursday, the U.S. European Command said Friday morning.
The Associated Press reports that search teams recovered the bodies of the nine Americans, citing Albanian military authorities. Four bodies were found earlier Friday, and five more were found inside the plane, Albanian officials said.
The MC-130H Combat Talon II aircraft was assigned to the 352nd Special Operations Group out of RAF Mildenhall, England, when it crashed about 65 miles southeast of Tirana, the Albanian capital, officials said.
The aircraft was on a night training mission with the Albanian military as part of the Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) program.
Albania, seeking eventual membership in NATO, has close ties to the U.S. military. It backed the American-led campaign in Iraq, where it has deployed a small unit of 71 troops. Albania also has peacekeeping contingents in Afghanistan and in nearby Bosnia.
The U.S. ambassador to Albania, Marcie B. Ries, thanked Qazimi for the search effort.
“This is an example of the excellent cooperation existing between the United States and Albania,” Ries said. “We are very grateful for the tremendous support from the Albanian military.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report. [/font]
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