US chopper crashes in Afghanistan

From correspondents in Kabul, Afghanistan
July 30, 2005

A US Apache helicopter crashed during a routine training mission in Afghanistan, injuring the two crewmen aboard, a military statement said.It said the AH-64 Apache came down yesterday near Bagram, the main base for US-led forces in Afghanistan to the north of the capital.

US-led forces have lost at least a dozen helicopters in Afghanistan due to technical problems, operating conditions or hostile fire since invading the country to overthrow the radical Taliban government in late 2001.

The statement said yesterday's crash was not believed to have been caused by insurgents, but it comes a day after a giant Chinook CH-47 helicopter was destroyed by a hard landing during an operation to hunt down insurgents in the restive south.

Taliban guerrillas said they had shot down the chopper in yesterday's incident, but had no proof.

There were no casualties.

In April, a CH-47 helicopter crashed during a dust storm in Ghazni province, killing 15 American servicemen and three civilian contractors aboard.

Last month an MH-47 helicopter - a special forces version of the CH-47 - was shot down during an anti-guerrilla mission in the eastern province of Kunar, killing all 16 troops on board

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