Wreckage of a crashed helicopter in Afghanistan
Five US service members have died in a helicopter crash in southern
Afghanistan.
The cause of the crash has not yet been established, the International
Security Assistance Force said.
An ISAF statement said: "The cause of the crash is under investigation,
however, initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the
area at the time of the incident."
The crash came on the same day two US troops and five Afghan police and
soldiers were killed in a so-called insider attack by a person in an
Afghan military uniform in the east of the country, reports Sky News.
The new American Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel left Afghanistan earlier
on Monday after a difficult first trip to Kabul.
His trip was marred by a suicide bomb attack near where he was holding a
meeting, and differences with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who
accused the United States of colluding with the Taliban.
Helicopter crashes are not uncommon in Afghanistan and the Taliban and
others often claim to have shot them down, although such claims by
insurgents are often exaggerated.
Last August, 11 people, including seven US soldiers, were killed when a
Black Hawk helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan.
The worst such incident was in August 2011, when the Taliban shot down a
CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter, killing all 38 people on board,
including 25 US special operations troops.
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