Skip to main content
CNN

2 killed in Afghanistan helicopter crash

From Masoud Popalzai, CNN
updated 12:03 PM EDT, Mon May 28, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Three police and four tribal elders are killed in a roadside bombing
  • Two helicopter crashes occur Monday, the ISAF says
  • The Taliban claims responsibility, but ISAF says it had no reports of enemy activity in the area
  • A third service member died in an insurgent attack, the coalition says

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Two International Security Assistance Force troops were killed in one of two helicopter crashes Monday in eastern Afghanistan, officials said.

Separately, three police and four tribal elders were killed in a roadside bombing, police said.

The first helicopter crash, during a routine operation, did not result in any fatalities, said ISAF spokesman Capt. Justin Brockhoff. Two died in the second crash, ISAF said.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in an e-mail that the two helicopters were shot down and 36 soldiers died, but ISAF said there were no reports of enemy activity in the area where the crashes occurred.

A third ISAF service member died Monday in an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan, the coalition said in a news release. No further details were released on the attack or the crashes.

After the first crash, those on board the chopper were taken to a NATO facility for evaluation. The crash did not harm civilians or damage property, ISAF said.

Some previous helicopter crashes involving ISAF members were the result of enemy fire, while others were for mechanical reasons.

The single deadliest loss for U.S. troops since the Afghan war began in late 2001 happened in August. Thirty U.S. service members died when a helicopter carrying them went down while they were reinforcing other troops, officials said. Seven Afghan troops died as well.

A U.S. military official said then that insurgents were believed to have shot down the CH-47 Chinook. The Taliban said that militants downed the helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade.

More recently, 12 people died in March when a helicopter crashed in Afghanistan's capital city, Kabul. And in April, the Taliban claimed responsibility for downing a Black Hawk helicopter in southern Afghanistan.

The roadside bombing Monday struck a car in northern Baghlan province. All seven in the car died, police said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility in a text message from Mujahid. The police were targeted, he said.

ADVERTISEMENT
Part of complete coverage on
Afghanistan
updated 9:35 PM EDT, Mon April 1, 2013
CNN's Anna Coren reports on how U.S. Special Forces are not just fighting terrorists in Afghanistan.
updated 5:24 AM EDT, Fri May 24, 2013
With U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan, CNN's Anna Coren reports on a Taliban firefight lasting more than 90 minutes.
updated 10:54 AM EDT, Mon April 1, 2013
Mallika Kapur has the story of a young Afghan graffiti artist who, despite Taliban threats, pushes for free expression.
updated
For the first time, a Pakistan government served its full term and the lack of a military coup attempt shows government is more stable than many think.
updated 11:22 AM EST, Sat February 16, 2013
President Obama has revealed new details about the troop withdrawal. But there are several key issues that still must be resolved.
updated 7:35 AM EST, Mon February 11, 2013
Author William Dalrymple's new book "Return of a King" looks at the history of foreign-led wars in Afghanistan.
CNN.com's 'Home and Away' initiative honors the lives of U.S. and coalition troops who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
updated 10:28 AM EST, Tue February 12, 2013
Former Army Staff Sgt. Clint Romesha receives the Medal of Honor for his role in one of the worst ground attacks of the Afghanistan war.
updated 4:18 PM EST, Tue February 12, 2013
osamabinladen
On Monday Esquire magazine published a massive profile of the Navy SEAL who says he shot Osama bin Laden.
The mother of a little Afghan girl cannot face her daughter. She looks down in shame as she explains why she must hand her over to drug lords.
updated 5:21 PM EST, Sun January 27, 2013
Aman Mojadidi, an American of Afghan descent, is an artist who has worked in Kabul and chosen particularly provocative themes.
updated 11:14 AM EST, Thu January 10, 2013
Afghan President Hamid Karzai met with President Barack Obama to discuss the post-2014 American presence in Afghanistan.
U.S. underestimates importance of Islam in making Afghanistan a better place, say authors.
updated 9:28 PM EST, Thu November 29, 2012
The number of people forced to flee their homes is increasing and the conditions for the displaced are far below international standards.
updated 3:24 PM EDT, Fri June 8, 2012
Unexploded munitions from war games in Afghanistan make a dangerous play ground for local children.
Her story of torture by the Taliban made her the iconic face of the oppression of women in Afghanistan.
ADVERTISEMENT