6 US forces dead in Afghan copter crash
US Marines prepare to load a CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter in Afghanistan on December 25, 2011.
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.
GJH/MAB/AS
