6 US forces dead in Afghan copter crash

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:18:18 GMT A US-led NATO helicopter has crashed in southern Afghanistan, leaving six American service personnel dead, US officials say. The helicopter, a CH-53 Sea Stallion, went down in Helmand province, one official said on the condition of anonymity in the early hours of Friday. Another official has confirmed that all the dead are members of the US military. The official added that according to initial indications the crash was not the result of an enemy fire. NATO's International Security Assistance Force said in a brief statement that the cause of the crash was "under investigation." It added that “initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash.” No group has so far claimed responsibility for the incident, but in August 2011 Taliban fighters shot down a US Chinook helicopter. In that incident, thirty American troops died, including 17 Navy SEALs and five other Navy sailors assigned to the SEAL unit. The attack also killed seven Afghan troops and an interpreter. ============ Six U.S. Marines killed in Afghan helicopter crash 20 Jan 2012 15:35 Source: Reuters // Reuters (Deletes extraneous dateline; Recasts with all victims US Marines, adds background) KABUL, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Six U.S. Marines were killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, a U.S. official said, but NATO said Taliban fighters were not active in the area at the time. "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", a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said Friday, raising questions about a possible malfunction or pilot error. The NATO spokesman declined to confirm the nationality of the victims but a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said all of the dead were U.S. Marines. It is the worst crash since August last year when 30 American forces, including 22 elite Navy SEAL commandos, died when their helicopter came down in eastern Afghanistan. An investigation into the incident confirmed that the Taliban fired a rocket-propelled grenade that hit one of the rotary blades and exploded, sending the helicopter plunging to the ground and bursting into flames within seconds. All eight Afghans on board were also killed. (Reporting by Rob Taylor; Additional reporting by Phil Stewart in Washington; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Doina Chiacu) (Rob.Taylor@thomsonreuters.com)(+612 62733700)(Reuters Messaging: rob.taylor.reuters.com@reuters.net)) ======================= Afghan Taliban say recruited soldier who killed French troops 21 Jan 2012 08:41 Source: Reuters // Reuters (Adds more quotes, detail, background) By Jibran Ahmad PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Jan 21 (Reuters) - The Afghan Taliban said on Saturday they had recruited an Afghan soldier who shot dead four French soldiers in the country's east a day earlier, prompting France to threaten an early pullout from the NATO-led war. The claim of responsibility raises serious concerns about handing control of security over to the Afghan army and police, which NATO-led forces are currently in the process of doing before all foreign combat troops leave by the end of 2014. Using another name the Islamist group call themselves, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by telephone: "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has recruited people in important positions. Some of them have already accomplished their missions," he said adding that the four died on the spot. The killings in Kapisa province were the latest in a string of such attacks in which Afghan troops turn on their Western allies and mentors. While NATO has blamed Taliban infiltration in the past, it has also said stress, indiscipline and divided loyalties within the hastily traded ranks played a role. Friday's brazen attack also comes weeks after an offer from the Taliban to open a political office in Qatar as a prelude to possible peace talks with the United States and other nations. After the shooting -- which took the French death toll to 82 since the war began in 2001 -- President Nicolas Sarkozy ordered all French military operations on the ground to be suspended and Defence Minister Gerard Longuet jetted into Kabul on Saturday. A regional Taliban commander added that incidents such as a video showing U.S. Marines urinating on corpses were boosting support for the group among Afghans and threatened more attacks. "Our missions have become easier because of incidents like the video," he said. Despite the presence of more than 100,000 foreign troops, violence across Afghanistan remains at its worst levels since the Taliban were toppled by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in late 2001, according to the United Nations. (Writing by Amie Ferris-Rotman; Editing by Nick Macfie) ======================