Al Jazeera – 2010-10-13 00:41:46
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/10/2010101216612944551.html
Cargo Plane Crashes Near Kabul
Al Jazeera
KABUL (October 12, 2010) — A cargo plane has crashed into mountains near the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing all seven people on board, a local civil aviation official said. The C-130 plane was reportedly transporting goods for NATO when it crashed on Tuesday.
Al Jazeera‘s Sue Turton, reporting from Kabul, said “flight 662 was flying from Bagram airbase to Kabul, bringing logistical supplies for NATO. “The crew of seven people is believed to be a mixture of US and African nationals. There is no sign that the flight was brought down by Taliban fighters. From what we are hearing from our sources, it sounded more like an accident,” she said.
A spokesman for NATO-led forces in Afghanistan confirmed there had been a plane crash but he had no details on how many people were on board the plane.
Afghan and international forces have set out on a search and rescue mission to the area of the crash. A police official initially said that a passenger plane had crashed. Kabul’s international airport is busy with civilian and military aircraft involved in NATO and UN operations, as well as commercial passenger and cargo flights.
Helicopter Explosion
Earlier on Tuesday, at least one person was killed in an explosion inside a US helicopter shortly after it landed at a military outpost in eastern Afghanistan, military officials said.
The US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement that the cause of the explosion was unclear and that 26 people had been on board the aircraft.
ISAF initially announced that 10 troops were wounded in the incident and two people were killed, but a spokesman later revised the casualty figures. “Operational reporting is very fluid. You’ve got to understand that we’re trying to get all the facts,” the spokesman told the AFP news agency. “There are seven wounded and one killed in action. It is up to respective governments to release the killed in action. The seven wounded are ISAF personnel.”
Another ISAF spokesman identified the aircraft as a US-made Chinook, and said that the landing site had been secured by Afghan and NATO soldiers. Eastern Afghanistan is one of the most volatile parts of the country, where the Taliban and other anti-government groups have a strong presence.
Taliban Claims US Helicopter Attack
Al Jazeera
KABUL (October 12, 2010) — At least one person has been killed in an explosion inside a US helicopter shortly after it landed at a military outpost in eastern Afghanistan, military officials said. Seven troops from the NATO-led security force in Afghanistan were also wounded on Tuesday, in an attack for which the Taliban has claimed responsibility.
The US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement that the cause of the explosion was unclear and that 26 people had been on board the aircraft. ISAF initially announced that 10 troops were wounded in the incident and two people were killed, but a spokesman later revised the casualty figures.
“Operational reporting is very fluid. You’ve got to understand that we’re trying to get all the facts,” the spokesman told the AFP news agency. “There are seven wounded and one killed in action. It is up to respective governments to release the killed in action. The seven wounded are ISAF personnel.”
Recent Attacks
Another ISAF spokesman identified the aircraft as a US-made Chinook, and said that the landing site had been secured by Afghan and NATO soldiers. Eastern Afghanistan is one of the most volatile parts of the country, where the Taliban and other anti-government groups have a strong presence.
The attack comes after roadside bombs killed at least seven people including two NATO troops on Sunday. Elsewhere, five members of a family died in a roadside blast in eastern Paktia province, while NATO troops were killed in an explosion on a highway in southern Afghanistan, the military alliance said.
Sunday’s deaths, which have brought to 26 the number of NATO forces killed this month, came a day after four Italian troops died in a roadside blast in western Farah province.
There are currently around 152,000 foreign troops under US and NATO command in Afghanistan, and two-thirds of the troops are American. At least 2,014 NATO troops have died since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, according to an Associated Press count.
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