NATO helicopter crashes in eastern Afghanistan, no casualties

NATO helicopter crashes in eastern Afghanistan, no casualties

2012-02-06 20:23:29 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- A helicopter belonging to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) crashed in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, the alliance said. There were no reports of casualties.

ISAF said the accident happened in eastern Afghanistan but gave no specific details, including the exact location, the type of helicopter involved and how many people were on board. "There were no fatalities and the crew has been safely recovered to a nearby forward operating base," a spokesperson said.

The cause of the accident was also not immediately known, but ISAF ruled out enemy activity. "The site has been secured and initial reports indicate there was no enemy activity in the area," the spokesperson said. "ISAF is assessing the circumstances to determine the cause of the crash."

Earlier this year, on January 19, six U.S. Marines were killed when a CH-53 helicopter went down in Helmand province, which is located in southern Afghanistan. It followed the crash of a U.S.-owned helicopter just days earlier in the same province, killing three crew members who were not part of ISAF but were conducting operations for the U.S. Department of Defense.

And in August 2011, 30 U.S. and 8 Afghan service members were killed when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed in the Tangi Valley of Wardak province. 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 more than 9,500 British soldiers. U.S. President Barack Obama previously ordered a drawdown of 23,000 U.S. troops later this year, and foreign combat troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

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