Alwaght- A US soldier has been killed and six more wounded in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan, the US military said on Saturday.
The Resolute Support mission said that the crash occurred on Friday night in the eastern province of Logar, which is located south of the capital, Kabul.
The mission said that the crash was not caused by terrorist groups. Both the Taliban and the ISIS operate in Afghanistan and are waging an insurgency against the Afghan government and western forces present in the country.
Six other US crew members were injured and are receiving medical treatment, the statement said. The mission says it is investigating the circumstances of the crash, but stressed that it was not caused by “enemy action,” rejecting Taliban claims that it was responsible for it.
Earlier, Salim Saleh, spokesman for the provincial governor in Logar, told the Associated Press that a military helicopter made an emergency landing as it was taking off and hit a tree.
He said the helicopter was supporting an operation to eliminate insurgents from Karwar district.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, claimed their fighters shot down the helicopter in Karwar district.
In eastern Ghazni province, at least nine police officers were killed Saturday in separate attacks by Taliban insurgents at police checkpoints, a provincial official said.
Arif Noori, spokesman for the provincial governor, said two police checkpoints came under attack by Taliban fighters in the early hours, leaving nine police dead and two officers wounded. He said six insurgents were killed and nine others were wounded in the battle, which lasted almost an hour.
