Seven killed in cargo plane crash in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan, May 19 (UPI) -- A cargo plane carrying NATO troop supplies crashed in Southern Afghanistan this week, killing seven people, officials said Thursday.

The plane was attempting to land at Dwyer Base when it crashed on the runway, said Taimoor Shah, the police chief of Garmsir.

The Antonov An-12 cargo plane was registered to civilian company Silk Way Airlines and all seven crew members killed were either Central Asian or Eastern European, Azerbaijan news reported. Two survivors were rushed to a hospital in Kandahar Province. Their condition is not known.

The American-led NATO mission in Afghanistan officially ended in 2014, but increasing violence and security problems in Southern Afghanistan have forced NATO troops back into the region in an advisory role, training Afghan troops. U.S. Special Forces will join Afghanis on operations in the south where they have encountered the Taliban.