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A-10 Warthog Close Air Support For Special Forces ODA 785
Published 3 years ago
Old school footage from early in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) shows A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog" aircraft providing close air support (CAS) for US Army Special Forces ODA 785 while they treat and evacuate a wounded Afghan soldier.
Based on the audio, the wounded Afghan counterpart is "shot through the head." Because the unit is still engaged in active combat, MedEvac birds won't land nearby, so they are forced to load him up and drive him to a safer landing zone (LZ) for the distaff birds. The fate of the Afghan soldier is unknown.
The Green Berets and host nation allies suppress suspected enemy locations while the A-10s conduct multiple gun runs on hostile targets. The expenditure of overwhelming firepower allows the unit to withdraw without taking further friendly casualties.
