Two U.S. troops reportedly were killed in a NATO helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday.
The cause of the crash in being investigated, a NATO spokesman said an Associated Press report.
NATO didn’t release the nationality of the killed troops, but a senior U.S. officials confirmed to AP that they were Americans. This is the ninth American death in Afghanistan this month, AP said.
The aircraft crashed in a field in the Pachir Wagam district in Nangarhar province, AP said. A nearby Afghan resident who heard the explosion and saw the helicopter explode into flames said more aircraft arrived to seal off the site. The resident also said he didn’t hear any gunfire before the crash, and earlier reports from various media outlets said the cause was believed to have stemmed from technical problems with the aircraft.
Al Jazeera reported earlier that Taliban members in the area were claiming responsibility for the downing, however.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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