Insurgents fire at NATO helicopter in southern Afghanistan

[News_Editor]

Insurgents fire at NATO helicopter in southern Afghanistan

2011-12-24 20:43:05 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- Afghan insurgents fired at a helicopter belonging to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) on late Friday evening, the multinational alliance confirmed on Saturday. There were no casualties.

The attack happened in Helmand province when insurgents opened fire at an ISAF helicopter, forcing it to land near an Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) checkpoint in the Nahr-e Saraj district. "The helicopter was assessed to have received small arms fire," ISAF said.

According to the alliance, the helicopter landed without incident and the aircrew was recovered unharmed. "The helicopter was recovered to a nearby coalition base," an ISAF spokesperson said, without disclosing the nationality or nationalities of the troops on board the aircraft.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack and said its fighters had fired a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at the aircraft while it was flying at a low altitude. "Witnesses from the area say that the helicopter caught fire in mid-air before crashing to the ground," he claimed. "It is said that all the invaders and crew on board were killed on impact. The wreckage is still lying in the area this morning whereas the area has been cordoned off by enemy troops."

It was not possible to confirm whether Taliban fighters were in fact behind the attack, as the group regularly claims responsibility for attacks carried out by affiliated groups such as the Haqqani Network. Taliban spokesmen usually also fabricate claims of casualties, and no other source indicated casualties as a result of Friday's incident.

On August 6, a total of 30 U.S. and 8 Afghan service members were killed when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed in the Tangi Valley of Wardak Province. A report released by U.S. Central Command in mid-October showed the crash was caused by an insurgent-fired rocket-propelled grenade which struck the CH-47's aft rotor-blade as the aircraft approached its landing zone.

The incident represented the highest number of U.S. forces killed during a single event since the U.S.-led war began in late 2001. There are currently more than 130,000 ISAF troops in Afghanistan, including some 90,000 U.S. troops and 9,500 British soldiers.

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