Helicopter crash kills 5 US-led troops in Afghanistan

At least five US-led troops have been killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan’s volatile southern region, sources say.

Five US-led service members were killed after their helicopter crashed due to technical failure near the southern city of Kandahar on Sunday, the US-led forces and a provincial official said.

“Today at 11 am (0630 GMT) an ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) helicopter crashed due to technical problems in Takht-e Pol district. As a result, five ISAF soldiers were killed,” Kandahar governor’s spokesman, Dawakhan Minapal, said.

The crash happened a few hours after a US drone went down in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Kunar.

Taliban militants claimed they had shot down the drone.

The US-led military force is preparing to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan at the end of this year.

The US and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across the country, despite the presence of tens of thousands of US-led troops.