(21 Sep 2010) HEADLINE: 9 killed, 3 hurt in Afghanistan chopper crash
CAPTION: A helicopter carrying international troops crashed Tuesday, killing nine service members in southern Afghanistan where troops are ramping up pressure on Taliban insurgents. (Sept. 21)
IT'S THE WORST CHOPPER CRASH FOR NATO FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN IN FOUR YEARS.
9 TROOPS DIED IN THE CRASH IN THE RUGGED ZABUL PROVINCE.
THEIR NATIONALITIES HAVE NOT BEEN RELEASED.
ONE OTHER COALITION SERVICE MEMBER, AN AFGHAN SOLDIER AND A U-S CIVILIAN WERE HURT.
A-P CORRESPONDENT HEIDI VOGT (vote) SAYS CHOPPER CRASHES ARE RARE BUT DEVASTATING.
(SOT)
there was a crash in 2007 in zabul that killed 8 us personnel, and in one of the largest crashes back in 2005 in kunar 16 americans were killed, but it's not that often that we have this type of deadly event coming from a helicopter going down.
THE TALIBAN CLAIMED TO HAVE SHOT DOWN THE HELICOPTER, BUT NATO SAYS THERE WERE NO REPORTS OF ENEMY FIRE.
THE CHOPPER WENT DOWN IN A REGION WHERE TROOPS ARE RAMPING UP PRESSURE ON TALIBAN INSURGENTS.
MOST HELICOPTER CRASHES IN THE COUNTRY HAVE BEEN ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY MAINTENANCE PROBLEMS OR FACTORS SUCH AS DUST.
APTN STORY NUMBER: 658705
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