Black Hawk Down

[PHXPhlyer]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/12/politics ... index.html


8 killed, including 6 Americans, in helicopter crash involving peacekeeping force in Egypt
Barbara Starr-Profile-Image
By Barbara Starr and Ryan Browne, CNN

Updated 10:14 AM ET, Thu November 12, 2020
US personnel involved in helicopter crash in Egypt

US personnel involved in helicopter crash in Egypt 02:16
Washington (CNN)Eight military members of a peacekeeping force in Egypt, including six Americans, were killed when a helicopter crashed in the southern Sinai Peninsula, the coalition force announced Thursday.

One American survived the crash, which happened in the vicinity of Sharm el-Sheikh, the coalition said in a statement. The names of those involved are being withheld pending the notification of next of kin.
The coalition force, which initially reported that seven military members were killed, said "there is no information to indicate the crash was anything except an accident" and that an investigation was underway to determine the cause.
The peacekeeping force, known as the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO), oversees the peace agreement reached between Egypt and Israel as part of the Camp David Accords of 1978.
The force consists of some 1,150 personnel from 13 countries, including about 450 Americans.
Also killed in the crash were one French and one Czech national, the coalition said.
A US official could not say immediately if the craft was a US helicopter, and the Trump administration is working to confirm details.
Security in the area has deteriorated in recent years amid a campaign of violence being carried out by a local ISIS affiliate that has targeted civilians and government forces.
In 2016, after a series of militant attacks, the US moved a large number of forces further south to where it was deemed safer and increased the use of remote technology like cameras to carry out the mission.
This story has been updated to reflect additional information from the Multinational Force and Observers.


https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/5-ame ... pter-crash
5 Americans among peacekeepers killed in Egypt helicopter crash
By Josef Federman and Samy MagdyPublished 1 hour agoWorldAssociated Press

FILE - The lights of an ambulance. (Photo by Matt Jonas/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images)
JERUSALEM (AP) - A helicopter belonging to an international peacekeeping force crashed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on Thursday, killing at least seven people including several Americans, an Israeli and an Egyptian official said.

The Israeli official said that five Americans were among the dead in the crash in Sinai. The other victims were French and Czech. The official said Israel initially dispatched a helicopter to rescue the wounded, but called off the mission after the deaths were confirmed.

The Egyptian official said the UH-60 Black Hawk was on a reconnaissance mission and crashed near the island of Tiran, apparently because of a technical failure.

The helicopter belonged to the Multinational Force and Observers, an international force known as MFO that monitors the 40-year-old peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. Thirteen countries contribute troops to the mission, with the United States making up the largest contingent.

MFO officials said an investigation was underway but gave no further details.

Both the Israeli and the Egyptian official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media on the matter.

PP