Afghanistan: Nine coalition service members die in bomb blast, helicopter crash

[News_Editor]

Afghanistan: Nine coalition service members die in bomb blast, helicopter crash

2011-05-27 03:41:00 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- Eight coalition service members were killed on Thursday when a bomb exploded in southern Afghanistan, while another service member died when his helicopter crashed, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

ISAF said eight of its service members were killed in southern Afghanistan as a result of an improvised explosive device (IED) attack, but provided no other details. The nationalities of the service members were also not immediately disclosed, although NBC News identified the casualties as American.

Also on Thursday, one coalition service member was killed when an ISAF helicopter crashed in the Nika district of Paktika province, not far from the border with Pakistan. It was not immediately clear what kind of helicopter was involved, which nationality the casualty had, and how many people were on board.

"The cause of the crash is currently unknown and under investigation," an ISAF spokesperson said. But Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the incident.

"A new report indicates that Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate (Taliban) shot down one of the US invaders' Apache-like helicopters while flying over Janant Khel area in Nika district of Paktika province on Thursday at approximately 10.00 a.m. local time," Zabihullah said. "Witnesses say the wreckage of the struck helicopter is still lying at the scene."

It was not clear how credible the claim was as the Taliban are known to often fabricate claims of responsibility and are also known to take credit for attacks carried out by other insurgent groups. "We cannot release any further information as the incident is under investigation," the ISAF spokesperson added.

Coalition casualties in Afghanistan have been rising sharply in recent years, with a total coalition death toll of 709 in 2010, making it the deadliest year for international troops since the war began in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

So far this year, 199 coalition service members have been killed in Afghanistan. Most troops are killed in the country's south, which is plagued by IED attacks on troops and civilians.

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