Evacuation efforts: US aircraft hit by gunfire in South Sudan
Three US military Osprey aircraft were hit as they headed to Bor.
Three US military Osprey aircraft were hit as they headed to Bor. PHOTO: FILE
JUBA:
US aircraft flown into South Sudan to help with evacuation efforts on Saturday came under fire, wounding four US servicemen, officials said, as fighting in the country escalated.
The targeted Bell Boeing V-22 Ospreys are hybrid aircraft with huge rotors on tiltable wings that allow them to take off vertically like a helicopter but resemble a normal plane in flight.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2013.
US aircraft flown into South Sudan to help with evacuation efforts on Saturday came under fire, wounding four US servicemen, officials said, as fighting in the country escalated.
Three US military Osprey aircraft were hit as they headed to Bor, a rebel-held city in Jonglei state, US officials said, adding to earlier information by a Ugandan official who said one of the impacted aircraft was leaking fuel.
“The damaged aircraft diverted to Entebbe, Uganda, where the wounded were transferred onboard a US Air Force C-17 and flown to Nairobi, Kenya for medical treatment,” an updated Pentagon statement said.
“All four service members were treated and are in stable condition.”
The targeted Bell Boeing V-22 Ospreys are hybrid aircraft with huge rotors on tiltable wings that allow them to take off vertically like a helicopter but resemble a normal plane in flight.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2013.