22 Navy SEALs Among the 31 U.S. Troops Killed in Afghan Helicopter Crash

Twenty-two Navy SEAL members were among 31 U.S. troops Killed on Saturday when Taliban insurgents shot down a Chinook helicopter over eastern Afghanistan.

The nearly two dozen U.S. special forces who were killed were on a mission to rescue another team of military personnel pinned down by insurgents, a U.S. military official told CNN.

The downed helicopter was carrying 31 Americans to include the 22 Navy SEALs, who were part of a "quick reaction force" sent in to get others involved in a fierce firefight, the official told CNN.

The Army Chinook carrying the U.S. team and Afghan soldiers went down in Wardak province. It is the deadliest day in the decade long war against Al Qaeda, according to reports.

The SEAL Team Six is the special operations unit responsible for the Pakistan raid that killed Osama Bin Laden months ago.

The New York Time has reported that the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack and that 22 of the dead were Navy Seal commandos.

President Obama has offered his condolences to the families of the Americans and Afghans who died in the attack.

"Their death is a reminder of the extraordinary sacrifice made by the men and women of our military and their families," Obama said.

"We will draw inspiration from their lives, and continue the work of securing our country and standing up for the values that they embodied," Obama said, as reported by Fox News.

Afghan president Hamid Karzai has also offered his condolences to the victims' families, as seven Afghans were killed in the incident.