As soon as the operation in Abbottabad had started one of the two Black Hawk helicopters crashed.

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"Two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were on a night operation when one of the aircraft crashed, " the military said.

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The raid begins with beautiful shots of Black Hawk helicopters taking off at night, silhouetted against a few brilliant lights.

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The Connecticut National Guard has moved equipment to staging places, including several Black Hawk helicopters at Bradley International Airport north of Hartford.

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Two years later, militants shot down Black Hawk helicopters and killed American forces attempting to raid a warlord in the capital of Mogadishu.

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According to the mayor, Black Hawk helicopters were scheduled to pick up and drop massive 3, 000-pound sandbags in the 17th Street Canal breach, but were diverted on rescue missions.

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But the 1993 Black Hawk Down incident, when 18 American servicemen were killed after militia fighters shot two US military helicopters out of the sky, marked the country's descent into anarchy.

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Although Washington never formally cut diplomatic ties with Somalia, the 1993 Black Hawk Down incident - in which 18 US servicemen died after militia fighters shot down two US military helicopters - marked the country's descent into anarchy.

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