Gambian in US Helicopter Crash Dies After Injuries in Afghanistan



The Independent

November 16, 2001
Posted to the web November 16, 2001

Banjul, the Gambia

Abdourahman Sarr a Gambian serving in the US army has died in a hospital in
the United States just days after he was flown out of Afghanistan where the
military helicopter he was piloting crashed.

He was the pilot of a helicopter crew on an operation in the North of
war-ravaged Afghanistan, where US Special Forces were in action against the
Taliban regime.

US authorities had blamed bad weather instead of Taliban fire for the crash,
which left the helicopter crew dead or injured. Sarr was said to have been
mortally injured following the crash and was evacuated to the United States
where he died in a military hospital of wounds he sustained when the
helicopter went down.

Abdourahman who is believed to be a native of Bakau, was in the naval
reserve of the United States Army deployed in Afghanistan to prosecute war
against the Taliban and Osama bin Laden, believed to be the mastermind
behind the September 11 terrorist attack in New York and Washington.

The late Sarr who lived in Washington State was married to an American and
was said to have spent many years living and working in America. As we went
to press it is not clear whether he has been buried.

Sarr was also said to have carved a niche for himself in his service in the
US Army, distinguishing himself as an efficient combat pilot. In 1986 he
reportedly took part in the bombing of the residence of Libyan leader Moumar
Ghadaffi consequent to the standoff between Libya and the United States.The
September 11 attacks in America have saw the death of at least three
Gambians trapped in the World Trade Centre at the time of the attack, which
left more than 5, 000 people dead or missing.




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