5 GIs among 7 dead in Afghan copter crash

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN —  Five American soldiers and two other military personnel were killed Wednesday night in a helicopter crash in a volatile southern province of Afghanistan, U.S. military officials said.

A U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it appeared the helicopter had been struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. The Associated Press reported that the Taliban had claimed responsibility for downing the craft, which also carried a Canadian and a Briton.

The crash was under investigation. But if the craft was indeed downed by insurgent fire, it would represent a rare instance of the Taliban being able to shoot down a helicopter.

NATO’s International Security Assistance Force said would-be rescuers came under fire and had to call in air support. It said one Afghan civilian was injured in the aftermath of the crash.

The helicopter, a CH-47 Chinook, went down in Helmand province, scene of some of the year’s heaviest fighting between insurgents and coalition troops. There were no survivors.

The crash occurred in the Kajiki district, site of a hydroelectric dam that has been the focus of recent battles between the Taliban and coalition troops.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization did not release any details about the crew’s mission.

Insurgents have only rarely been able to pose a threat to helicopters. Another Chinook went down in February in Zabol province, killing eight U.S. troops, but a mechanical failure was cited as the cause. . Another crash, in Kunar province, which killed 10 GIs in May 2006, apparently was caused by a combination of pilot error and bad weather during a nighttime landing.

An additional crash in Kunar in June 2005 that killed 16 U.S. troops was believed to have been caused by enemy fire.

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Special correspondent Faiez reported from Kabul and staff writer King from Karachi, Pakistan.