Hey, Nancy! The War is NOT over!

"The war in Afghanistan is over."
--Nancy Pelosi, June 21, 2005

AP reports:

KABUL, Afghanistan — A U.S. Chinook helicopter that crashed in eastern Afghanistan was likely shot down by hostile fire, and the fate of 17 Americans aboard — including special forces troops — was unclear, the U.S. military said Wednesday. The Taliban claimed it attacked the aircraft.

The troops were on a mission against Al Qaeda fighters when the helicopter went down Tuesday in a mountainous region near Asadabad, in Kunar province.

"Initial reports indicate the crash may have been caused by hostile fire. The status of the service members is unknown at this time," a U.S. military statement said.

The coalition and Afghan troops "quickly moved into position around the crash to block any enemy movement toward or away from the site" and coalition support aircraft were overhead, the statement said.

The helicopter was carrying forces into the area as part of Operation Red Wing against Al Qaeda militants, the military said.

"Coalition troops on the ground in this area came in contact with enemy forces and requested additional forces to be inserted into this operation," U.S. military spokesman Col. James Yonts told a news conference. "That is why there was an aircraft, that is how it arrived on the battlefield."

In Washington, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace said the "tragedy ... appears to be a shootdown of one of our special operations helicopters," and was under investigation.

"We think it was an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade), but are not 100 percent" sure, Pace told a Senate committee during a hearing on his nomination to be chairman of the joint chiefs.

Yonts said the helicopter took indirect or direct fire from the ground. "Whether or not that caused it to crash, we do not know yet," he said.

The U.S. military knew from its contacts with local leaders and residents that "terrorist organizations" were operating in the area of the crash, Yonts said.

...Provincial Gov. Asadullah Wafa told The Associated Press the Taliban downed the aircraft with a rocket. He gave no other details.

Purported Taliban spokesman Mullah Latif Hakimi telephoned the AP before news of the crash was released and said the rebels shot the helicopter down.

He said the rebels filmed the attack and would release the video to the media. He also claimed that rebels killed seven U.S. soldiers in an attack in the same area, although U.S. spokeswomen Lt. Cindy Moore said no such attack had been made on an American convoy.

Hakimi often calls news organizations to claim responsibility for attacks on behalf of the Taliban. His information has sometimes proven untrue or exaggerated, and his exact tie to the group's leadership is unclear.

Nancy Pelosi is persistent in her complaints about Bush lying and not being honest with the American people.

That's particularly ironic, given the fact that Pelosi herself is being dishonest in a blatant attempt to score political points.

Simply put, Pelosi's a liar, an opportunistic liar.

In addition to being a liar, it is possible that Pelosi is incredibly stupid as well. She's the House MINORITY leader; yet she has no idea what's happening in Afghanistan.

THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN IS NOT OVER.

Today, the military is concluding that hostile fire was most likely involved in the downing of a U.S. helicopter. The fate of the Americans aboard is unknown.

Nevertheless, Pelosi believes the war there is over.

She should make it a point to contact the families of those aboard the downed helicopter. Maybe then she'll realize the war goes on.

She is so out of touch it's frightening. Pelosi should step down as House MINORITY leader.