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U.S. Army Soldiers, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, the Afghan National army soldiers, and the Afghan Border Patrol conduct training on how to enter and exit a CH-47 Chinook helicopter at Forward Operating Base Fortress, Konar Province, Afghanistan, April 11, 2008, in preparation for operation Rock Tempest.

Johnny R. Aragon/Courtesy U.S. Army

A U.S. military investigation has found American personnel were not at fault when the Taliban shot down a Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan in August, killing all 30 Americans and eight Afghans on board, U.S. defense officials told Reuters on Wednesday.

The investigation, led by Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Colt, confirmed that a Taliban-fired rocket-propelled grenade downed the CH-47 helicopter. Most of Americans killed were elite Navy SEALs.

The defense officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the results of the investigation have not yet been made public. They told Reuters that no U.S. personnel would be punished as a result of the investigation, no equipment was found to have malfunctioned and the mission itself -- to go after a Taliban target -- was considered sound.

Immediately after the crash, some experts questioned whether the Chinook was the best aircraft for the task and whether the mission was worth putting the SEALs' lives at risk.

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