11 dead in ISAF helicopter crash

KANDAHAR CITY (PAN-led personnel, officials said.

The alliance said the crash, which was also confirmed by the Kandahar governor’s spokesman, resulted in the deaths of four ISAF soldiers, as many US military officials, three members of Afghan forces and one Afghan civilian interpreter.

A brief statement from the multinational force said the cause of the crash was under investigation. In line with its policy, ISAF deferred casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities.

Meanwhile, the Taliban asserted responsibility for shooting down the helicopter in a village on the outskirts of Tirinkot, the capital of central Uruzgan province.

The group’s spokesman Qari Yousaf told Pajhwok Afghan News the militants brought down the copter with a rocket in Chinartu area. All those on board were killed as the helicopter caught fire after the crash.

In Washington, the Pentagon said that it was deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the crash. “The incident is being investigated. We are obviously deeply saddened by the loss of lives,” the Pentagon press secretary said.

George Little, told reporters during an off-camera news conference that about a dozen personnel, including those from Afghanistan and the United States, were killed.

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