Tipsheet

Devastating: 31 Special Operations Troops, Including 25 Navy SEALS, Killed in Afghanistan

It's a sad day for America.

UPDATE: According to Fox News, more than 20 Navy SEALs from SEAL Team 6, the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden were killed in the attack.

More than 20 Navy SEALs from the unit that killed Osama bin Laden were among those lost in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

The operators from SEAL Team Six were flown by a crew of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. That's according to one current and one former U.S. official. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because families are still being notified of the loss of their loved ones.

One source says the team was thought to include 22 SEALs, three Air Force air controllers, seven Afghan Army troops, a dog and his handler, and a civilian interpreter, plus the helicopter crew.

The sources thought this was the largest single loss of life ever for SEAL Team Six, known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group.

In the largest single loss of U.S. troops since the war in Afghanistan started, the Taliban shot down a helicopter early this morning carrying 25 Navy SEALS and other special operations forces, killing total of 31 Americans.

A total of 38 people were on board the Chinook helicopter when it crashed overnight in the eastern Afghan province of Wardak.

Initial reports indicate up to 25 Navy SEALs were on the aircraft at the time.

It was also carrying seven Afghan Special Forces troops, one interpreter, five member helicopter crew and one dog.

Troops were apparently involved in a raid at the time.

"We are aware of an incident involving a helicopter in eastern Afghanistan," U.S. Air Force Capt. Justin Brockhoff, a NATO spokesman, told the Associated Press. "We are in the process of accessing the facts."

Although the Taliban have claimed to have shot the helicopter down, the exact cause of the crash is still under investigation.

God bless their souls, their families and may they rest in peace.