A NATO helicopter has crashed in east Afghanistan during an anti-Taliban operation, resulting in some foreign troop casualties, an Afghan official has said.
The helicopter came down late on Friday in the eastern province of Wardak, southwest of the capital Kabul, Shahidullah Shahid, the provincial spokesman, said.
"The joint forces [foreign and Afghan] conducted an operation against the Taliban in Sayd Abad district last night," he said.
"Eight insurgents were killed. A coalition helicopter that was firing on insurgents at the time crashed.
"We're not sure if this happened due to insurgent fire or not but there were some casualties of foreign troops due to the crash."
Shahid said coalition and Afghan officials were investigating the crash site on Saturday.
A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan said they were currently assessing what had happened.
"We are aware of an incident involving a helicopter in eastern Afghanistan," the spokesman said, adding that he could not give any further details at this stage.
Taliban claims responsibility
In a written statement, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the group claimed responsibility for the crash.
He said NATO had attacked a house in Sayd Abad where Taliban fighters were gathering on Friday.
The Taliban then fired on NATO and downed the helicopter, killing the crew, Mujahid said.
Aircraft crashes are relatively frequent in Afghanistan, where insecurity and difficult terrain make air travel essential for coalition forces transporting troops and equipment.
There have been at least 17 coalition and Afghan aircraft crashes in Afghanistan this year.
Friday's crash comes as the Afghan army and police ready themselves to take full charge of the country's security as NATO starts withdrawing its forces this year.
credit:Aljazeera
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