A U.S. Central Command spokesman on Friday pushed back against allegations that help reached Americans in a firefight in Afghanistan earlier this week too slowly.
Col. Pat Ryder said close support aircraft conducted 12 airstrikes that killed “dozens” of Taliban fighters when they responded to a request for help from American special operators who had come under fire while conducting a clearing operation with Afghan fighters. He rejected reports that air support and a quick reaction force were delayed.
“That’s just not accurate. The AC-130 was able to respond very quickly and provide that support,” Ryder said. “It did force the Taliban to withdraw from the area.”
Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook echoed the assurance the help was provided as quickly as possible during a briefing Thursday.
“There was an effort to respond as quickly as possible to this particular situation, given the ongoing fighting that was taking place. And we don’t have any indication that there was any delay here,” Cook told reporters.
One U.S. special operator was killed and two were injured Thursday during a firefight in Marjah, Afghanistan, while on a clearing mission with Afghan special operators.
Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., asked the Pentagon on Thursday for a formal briefing on the incident after learning from special operators that help for the U.S. forces under fire was delayed due to bureaucratic hurdles and restrictive rules of engagement.
“To think that these guys were abandoned by Washington while they were under fire is unthinkable and frankly against everything the U.S. military stands for,” Zinke said. “If there was a decision to delay the [quick reaction force] or call off air strikes on enemy combatants after the ground commanders ordered it, that is a clear dereliction of duty.”
Zinke also said Thursday that Cook’s promises that nothing was delayed are not enough and that his fact-finding mission would continue.
In the hours after Staff Sgt. Matthew McClintock’s death was reported, defense officials had few details, saying the firefight was ongoing. But on Friday, Ryder was able to provide more details on Tuesday’s attack.
Ryder said U.S. special operations were doing clearing operations with Afghan forces in 215 Corps near Marjah. As they were conducting operations, one U.S. troop was injured, though it’s not clear how.
Other forces called for a medical evacuation helicopter for the injured American, but a rotor blade struck a wall while landing. As U.S. forces worked with Afghans to come up with an alternate landing site, they came under attack by the Taliban, where McClintock was killed and another troop was injured.
