KABUL, Afghanistan, May 30 (UPI) -- Seven NATO soldiers, including five Americans, were killed Wednesday night when their helicopter crashed, possibly after being hit by Taliban forces.
The Chinook helicopter went down about 9:30 p.m. in the Kajaki district in southern Afghanistan, Xinhua reported. U.S. military officials said the five crew members killed were Americans but the nationalities of the other two victims was unknown, the BBC reported.
The Chinese news agency said one Afghan civilian was injured by small-arms fire after the crash.
The cause of the crash had yet to be determined but there were media reports that an unnamed U.S. military official said Taliban militants shot down the aircraft with a rocket-propelled grenade. Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told Xinhua by satellite phone from an undisclosed place that it was Taliban fighters who brought down the Chinook. "All soldiers and personnel on the helicopter apparently were killed," Ahmadi said.
