Afghan helicopter crash kills 31 US troops

06/08/2011| IslamWeb

A NATO helicopter has crashed in east Afghanistan during an anti-Taliban operation, killing at least 31 members of the US special forces and seven Afghan troops, a statement from the Afghan president's office said.

"The president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai expressed condolences over [the] NATO helicopter crash," the statement said.

The helicopter came down late on Friday in the eastern province of Wardak, southwest of the capital Kabul, Shahidullah Shahid, the provincial spokesman, said.

"The joint forces [foreign and Afghan] conducted an operation against the Taliban in Sayd Abad district last night," he said.

Shahid said coalition and Afghan officials were investigating the crash site on Saturday.

A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan said they were currently assessing what had happened.

"We are aware of an incident involving a helicopter in eastern Afghanistan," the spokesman said, adding that he could not give any further details at this stage.

Taliban claims responsibility

In a written statement, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the group claimed responsibility for the crash.

He said NATO had attacked a house in Sayd Abad where Taliban fighters were gathering on Friday.

The Taliban then fired on NATO and downed the helicopter, killing the crew, Mujahid said.

PHOTO CAPTION

A US Marine tries to take cover, perched on a container, trying to shelter from the dust as a Chinook helicopter arrives to pick up supplies at Forward Operating Base Edi in the Helmand Province of southern Afghanistan, June 9, 2011 file photo.

Al-Jazeera