Unanswered questions plague SEAL Team 6 losses

Everyone knows about the U.S. military's SEAL Team Six and its involvement in the Pakistan raid that left terror leader Osama bin Laden dead – heck, Hollywood made a movie about the members after the Obama administration reportedly dished out classified information to those working on the production.

But there are many, many questions that remain unanswered about the brave Navy SEAL team members who put on the boots and weaponry and defended America and how they may have been used as political pawns in a White House campaign to "reach out and coddle Islamist fundamentalists."

There are hopes that some of those questions will be answered as part of new discussion that is being required because of a lawsuit on behalf of family members of several SEAL Team Six members who were killed in a helicopter shootdown in the Middle East.

The new case has been launched by FreedomWatch's Larry Klayman, whose complaint is on behalf of several families of Navy SEAL Team members who died when their helicopter was shot down by Taliban jihadists on Aug. 6, 2011, in Afghanistan.

Those lost include the sons of Charles Strange, Doug and Shaune Hamburger, and Sidh Douangdara.

Defendants in the case are Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who are accused of disclosing classified information about the team's success in Pakistan and putting a "target on the backs" of the heroes and their families.

"Predictably, the Taliban retaliated by blasting the helicopter out of the air and killing all on board," FreedomWatch said in its announcement about the case.

Also named as defendants are the Islamic Republican of Iran, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Islamist Afghan President Hamid Karzai, "who is alleged to have tipped the Taliban off about the coordinates of the Extortion 17 operation, the helicopter that was blasted out of the sky carrying our nation's heroes," FreedomWatch said.

Klayman, who said reports have confirmed Iran pays a bounty of $1,000 to the Taliban for each American soldier killed, is a former U.S. Justice Department prosecutor and represents the families.

"It is hypocritical and outrageous that while the Obama Justice Department can criminally charge Edward Snowden for allegedly disclosing classified national security information and wage an international manhunt for his arrest, Biden and Panetta get off scot-free for their callous, cynical, opportunistic illegal release of the identity of SEAL Team VI in the bin Laden killing – allegedly orchestrated to boost President Obama's and Vice President Biden's re-election prospects in the months leading up to the 2012 November 6 election," Klayman said.

"This underscores how the nation's 'leaders' in Washington are not held to the same standards as are other citizens. It therefore falls upon the families of Navy SEAL Team VI and special ops servicemen to seek justice in the civil courts, as Biden and Panetta are 'not above the law.' The hard reality is that Biden and Panetta are alive 'feasting' on their 'political notoriety,' power, and wealth, while the brave heroes who gave their lives for our nation's security are dead, thanks to them!"

The case seeks $200 million in damages.

Klayman told WND among the suspicious circumstances that need explanation is the fact that seven Afghan service members had been scheduled on the helicopter flight with the Americans, but were switched out for others at the last second.

And how did someone know the coordinates of the helicopter?

And where did the weaponry come from?

"It's all suspicions [for these families]," Klayman said. "There are no answers to these questions."

He said it's apparent that the U.S. is putting "Muslim interests ahead of our own," and that raises another long list of questions about why.

The case explains that after the successful military raid in Pakistan, "defendants Biden and Panetta, acting on behalf of President Obama and themselves for political purposes leading up to and to further their prospects in the 2012 presidential election, purposefully and publicly disclosed that SEAL Team Six was responsible for conducting the successful raid on Osama bin Laden's compound, thereby making members of Seal Team Six and other special operations servicemen a target for retaliatory attacks."

"Defendant Biden released the name of SEAL Team Six at a Ritz Carlton event in Delaware," the claims states. "The then-Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, said the identity of SEAL Team Six would not be revealed. However, after Defendant Biden and shortly thereafter Defendant Panetta intentionally and purposefully released the name of SEAL Team Six, and, in Defendant Panetta's case, the personal name of the commander in charge of the particular unit that successfully raided Osama bin Laden."

Shortly later, the U.S. Boeing CH-47 military helicopter, carrying 22 Navy SEALS including members of the Team Six, was shot down.

"Adding insult to injury, the U.S. military and pursuant to the so-called Muslim outreach policies and orders of President Obama …. while prohibiting any mention of a Judeo-Christian God, invited a Muslim cleric to the ramp ceremony for the fallen Navy SEAL Team Six members, [and the cleric] disparaged in Arabic the memory of these servicemen by damning them as infidels to hell in the name of Allah."

Klayman continued, "The prayer give by the Muslim cleric was as follows: 'Amen. I shelter in Allah from the devil who has been cast with stones … In the name of Allah the merciful forgiver. The companions of the fire are not equal with the companions of heaven. Had we sent this Quran to a mountain, you would have seen the mountain prostrated in fear of Allah.'"

The case further claims that Biden was stating the Taliban was not an enemy.

"What is more outrageous is Defendant Biden's and the administration's attempt to win the hearts and minds of the United States' greatest enemy, the Islamists. He boasts that the rituals of Muslims should remind Americans of the principles that we hold in common with the Muslims, and Islam's role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings. Defendant Biden's romanticized view of and apparent kinship with the Muslim Brotherhood, perhaps because of his commander-in-chief's Muslim roots, as inherited from the commander's father, is seriously distorted and dangerous …"

The claim explains not only were the soldiers killed, their families have been threatened.

"Since the retaliatory death[s] of their sons, some of the families have been threatened in their homes by Islamic terrorist interests and radical terrorist groups and others and these threats continued," the claim explains. "These threats of severe bodily injury and death make plaintiffs … fearful of an imminent attack and serious bodily injury or death …"

Karen and Billy Vaughn, parents of SEAL Aaron Vaughn, recently told Fox News that their son had warned them to disavow any knowledge of SEAL Team Six.

"As soon as Joe Biden announced that it was a SEAL Team who took out bin Laden, within 24 hours, my son called me and I rarely ever heard him sound afraid in his adult life … And he said, 'Mom, you need to wipe your social media clean.'"

Liz Klimas reported at the Blaze that retired Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely said the helicopter crash story was a "lost story."

He said the story of the helicopter crash is covered with "a constant plethora of lies and deceit."

The report noted that the helicopter was unescorted, an apparently violent of standard practice, and the families were demanding a congressional investigation.

At the time, Strange said, "Something is wrong. … Somebody has to be accountable for the biggest loss in this war."

So many questions remain that Vallely has addressed his concerns in a book called "Betrayed."

It raises still more unanswered questions: Had the Taliban infiltrated the Afghan government at the time?

And it makes some serious charges.

"The men on that Chinook helicopter were compromised by their leaders, the same individuals who are supposed to be leading this nation, the same leaders who have ordered our phones tapped through the NSA, who have used the IRS to stop the strong voices of dissent in our country, who just tried to put voting control in the executive branch of the federal government (a move that is fascist to its core). This 'leadership' has left not just our fighting men and women at risk, but our country, our homes, our families unprotected and unsafe," according to a description of the book.