Helicopter Crash In Eastern Afghanistan Kills 2 Troops

[News_Editor]

Helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan kills 2 troops < br />

2012-05-28 22:43:01 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- Two coalition service members were killed on Monday afternoon when a helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan, hours after another aircraft went down in the same region, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

ISAF said two of its service members were killed when a helicopter crashed in Afghanistan's east. But because the multinational force defers the release of specific details to national authorities, no other details about the incident were released, including the exact location and whether any other troops were injured.

"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 crash," the alliance said in a brief statement. The nationalities of the service members involved were also not immediately released, again due to ISAF policy.

Earlier on Monday, another coalition aircraft crashed during routine operations in eastern Afghanistan, but it remains unclear if there were any injuries and if it involved a helicopter or a plane. "All of the crew and passengers on the aircraft were safely transported to a nearby ISAF installation," an ISAF spokesperson said. "No fatalities were reported and it is ISAF's policy not to discuss the number or nature of any injuries."

ISAF said there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash, but the spokesperson refused to release other details due to operational security considerations. "There were no reports of civilians being harmed or property damaged during the incident," the alliance said in a statement.

In late April, four American service members were killed when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed in the Khanashen Dewalak area near Garmsir in Helmand province. The exact cause of the accident remains under investigation, but Pentagon spokesman George Little previously said bad weather conditions are believed to have been the principal cause.

And on March 16, twelve Turkish soldiers and four civilians were killed when a Turkish Sikorsky-type helicopter, flying for ISAF, went down and clipped a house before crashing into another in the Bagrami district of Kabul province. It followed a deadly helicopter accident in southern Afghanistan in mid-January, killing six U.S. Marines.

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