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CNN Saturday Morning News

Two U.S. Military Personnel Die in Helicopter Crash

Aired October 20, 2001 - 07:13   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The two U.S. military personnel were killed when their helicopter went down in Pakistan. The Pentagon says the heli was flying in support of the ground operation by U.S. Special Forces.

CNN's Sheilah Kast is live at the Pentagon with more on the story. Not a lot of details to come out of there, yes, Sheilah?

SHEILAH KAST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Kyra. The Pentagon has not said much except that two soldiers died when their helicopter crashed. We have not been told what kind of helicopter. And it's from sources in the region that we learned that a U.S. helicopter crashed in the Baluchistan area of southwestern Pakistan about 15 miles or so south of the Afghan border.

U.S. officials have told CNN that this particular helicopter was not among those which had entered Afghanistan in the Special Forces combat operation. So while the U.S. has not directly responded to the Taliban claim of the shoot-down, this does seem to rule that out.

It was apparently a search and rescue helicopter playing a support role, but the Pentagon has not made clear what happened to the helicopter.

In Shanghai, President Bush was told about the deaths of the two military personnel, and the president had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think the American people now fully understand that we are in an important struggle, a struggle that will take time, and that there -- the country -- there'll be moments of sacrifice. We've seen two such examples today. The thing that's important for me to tell the American people, that these soldiers will not have died in vain. This is a just cause. It's an important cause.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAST: And, of course, the Pentagon will not identify the military personnel until their families have been notified -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Sheilah Kast, live from the Pentagon, thank you. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com