MARJAH, AFGHANISTAN — Fox News reports that a senior defense official said on Wednesday that a team of U.S. special operations forces recently pulled out of Southern Afghanistan on Tuesday after suffering one casualty while fighting the Taliban.
The evacuation of two wounded American soldiers and the body of a third from Marjah in Afghanistan took place on Tuesday when two USAF HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters were sent to rescue the U.S. special operations team. One of the helicopters took fire and waved off the mission and flew back to base, according to Fox News.
The other helicopter was disabled after one of its blades struck the wall of a compound, but was later also evacuated safely, the official said, according to Fox News.
The rest of the U.S. special operations team had remained in the compound to secure the damaged helicopter while they were surrounded by Taliban fighters. An AC-130 gunship was also called in for air cover as the U.S. troops waited out the night.
In described how forces were surrounded, a U.S. official told Fox News, "On the map there is one green dot representing friendly forces stuck in the compound, and around it is a sea of red [representing hostile forces]."
The joint U.S. and Afghan special operations team was originally sent to Marjah to clear the area of Taliban fighters, who have retaken most of the town since November, CNN reports. Fox News reported that officials said the U.S. has so far conducted 12 airstrikes in Marjah.
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