Five U.S. military members have been killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan, bringing the total of American troop fatalities on Monday to seven.
The helicopter crash followed an insider Afghani attack on U.S. servicemen that left two dead.
NATO said the helicopter, a UH-60 Blackhawk, was flying in a safe zone and that “initial reports” did not alert to enemy activity in the area, The Associated Press reports. The helicopter crashed just outside Kandahar city. The investigation into the cause of the crash is continuing.
In a separate helicopter accident Tuesday morning in the southern area of Israel, near Revadim, two reserve Israeli air force pilots were killed.
Around 1 a.m., Israeli soldiers lost radio contact with the pilots and at the same time, received reports of an aircraft sending off sparks before crashing in a wheat field, The Times of Israel reported. Four hours later, search and rescue crews found parts of the plane in the field.
Israeli Air Force chief Brig. Gen. Amir Eshel has ordered an investigation, The Times of Israel reports. The focus of the investigation is on technical failure with the plane. The pilots had years of experience and were flying routine exercises when they crashed.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.