Five members of NATO’s forces in Afghanistan have been killed in a helicopter crash in the south of the country.
The coalition forces and a provincial official said it was an accident due to technical failure.
“ISAF is still in the process of reviewing the circumstances to determine more facts,” the International Security Assistance Force said. It did not provide details of the nationalities of those who died.
A spokesman for Kandahar Governor Tooryalai Wesa confirmed the crash occurred near Kandahar City.
“Today at 11 am (0630 GMT) an ISAF helicopter crashed due to technical problems in Takhteh Pol district. As a result five ISAF soldiers were killed,” spokesman Dawakhan Minapal said.
Casualties among foreign forces have fallen in recent months as the US-led operation begins winding down ahead of a year-end deadline to leave Afghanistan.
This year at least 24 foreigners have been killed in a series of attacks.
