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CNN Live Sunday

Enemy Fire Not Ruled Out in Helicopter Crash

Aired January 20, 2002 - 17:01   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get more on why the helicopter crashed in Afghanistan. Enemy fire has not been ruled out, but U.S. authors feel it probably was mechanical failure. The Marine onboard had just taken off from Bagram air base near Kabul. CNN's Jeff Levine reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF LEVINE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The fatal crash occurred in the remote mountains of northern Afghanistan Sunday approximately 8:00 a.m. local time. Rescue vehicles rushed to the site of downed CH-53E helicopter 40 miles south of Bagram Air Base.

CAPT TOM BRYANT, U.S. ARMY, PAO TASK FORCE, BAGRAM: The site was quickly secured. We quickly got medical personnel and others on the ground and got them evacuated back here. We have a robust medical treatment capability here.

LEVINE: The chopper, like this one, was one of two on a reply mission. Seven Marines were onboard. Two of them died in the incident. Five others are expect to recover from injuries which a Pentagon source says are not life-threatening.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld says it appears hostile fire didn't bring down the chopper.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: They have no evidence at all that it was ground fire. They believe from what they have been able to hear from the members of the crew that it very likely was a mechanical failure.

LEVINE: The CH-53E Super Stallion has been a workhorse for Operation Enduring Freedom. Its primary duty: hauling up 70,000-pound loads in and out of combat. While the war in Afghanistan appears to be winding down, the Pentagon is turning its attention towards the Philippines. Rumsfeld says some 600 U.S. troops including special forces will be involved in a joint effort to combat terrorism in that nation.

RUMSFELD: We are working with the Philippines shoulder-to- shoulder to provide training and a whole host of techniques and things that are appropriate to chasing down terrorists.

LEVINE (on camera): This weekend's crash was not the first to take American lives in the pursuit of terrorists, demonstrating it's not always the enemy that poses the greatest danger to American troops.

Jeff Levine for CNN from the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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