Remember the helicopter that made a precautionary landing a few days ago???

Remember this news release by ISAF?

2011-11-S-041
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (Nov.  24, 2011) – An International Security Assistance Force helicopter made a precautionary landing in eastern Afghanistan Thursday.
ISAF is still in the process of assessing the circumstances to determine more facts; however, initial reporting indicates that there was no enemy activity in the area. All crew members have recovered with no reported injuries. When the assessment is completed, details will be released as appropriate.

Well your intrepid blogger wasn't too happy with the information provided so I shot an e-mail to the boys over there and got this response.

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: FOUO

Sanfu,

ISAF policy restricts the release of operational information; however,
we can say that the helicopter that made a precautionary landing was a
CH47 and was recovered by slingloading to a nearby ISAF base.  We have
no additional information to add.

IJC Press Desk.

Long story short. I'm not too happy, but I'll refrain from throwing rocks at ISAF.  Let me rephrase that and be specific.  I'd never throw stones at anyone below the rank of Colonel at ISAF.  Anything equal to and above that rank is fair game.

Lets play detective with the info provided.

*  The precautionary landing was made by a CH-47 in Eastern Afghanistan.
*  The 10th Combat Aviation Brigade (Task Force Falcon) is providing aviation assets in that area.
*  We can assume that they operated the helicopter that made the precautionary landing.
*  A number of US units are operating in the area...10th Mountain, 25th ID, 1st ID and several allied units including the French.
*  They stated in the press release that the CH-47 was slingloaded back to base so we can assume that a TRAP mission or whatever the Army calls it was performed.  That would seem to indicate some type of security force was on site while the helicopter was stripped.
*  Speaking of stripping the helicopter.  Unless they got CH-53E to do the slingloading then rotors, engines and any other heavy gear would have to be removed before making the flight.  Even with a CH-53E they might to have to a severe tear down job depending on terrain.

So....no information but we can make some pretty good guesses as to what occurred and since we have so little info coming out we have to make guesses.

Interesting though.  For such a non-incident they're playing their cards extremely close to the vest.  I wonder if we might not hear later on that this was indeed enemy action?