Four U.S. soldiers were injured after their chopper made a hard landing during a combat operation against militants in     Afghanistan, a U.S. military statement said on Monday.

The UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter has been recovered for repair after Saturday's incident in the central province of Uruzgan, the statement said, adding that the four were in stable condition.

The cause of the incident was under investigation.

The incident comes amid rising attacks linked to ousted Taliban fighters in southern and eastern parts of Afghanistan.

A U.S. MH-47 helicopter was totally destroyed on October 9 after dropping troops during an operation in the eastern province of Kunar due an "engine malfunction," but there were no casualties.

The Taliban at the time said they had shot down the helicopter. The crash was the second in two weeks in Afghanistan, where U.S.-led forces are battling a Taliban-led insurgency.

Five crew members were killed in the September 25 crash of a CH-47 Chinook in the southern Zabul province, again after the aircraft had dropped troops during an anti-militant operation.

The Taliban also said fighters had brought down that helicopter.

Four Chinooks have crashed in Afghanistan in the past six months, killing 56 people, mostly U.S. military personnel.

This has made 2005 the bloodiest year for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since 2001.

The United States leads a multinational force of about 20,000 troops pursuing Taliban and al-Qaeda members in Afghanistan. More than 50 U.S. troops have died this year in hostile fire.

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