Afghanistan crash victims all Americans

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - All nine troops killed in a helicopter crash earlier this week - the worst for the coalition forces in four years - were Americans, the Pentagon confirmed, although it refused to provide further information on why the aircraft went down.

NATO said there were no reports of enemy fire in a rugged area in the Daychopan district of Zabul province, where the crash took place on Tuesday. But Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi told The Associated Press by telephone that insurgents shot down the helicopter.

The Taliban often exaggerate their claims and sometimes take credit for accidents.

The U.S. Defense Department released the identities of the troops late Wednesday, saying four were sailors and the rest were soldiers.

Fort Campbell spokesman Rick Rzepka said the five soldiers were assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade.

Tuesday's crash was the deadliest since May 2006, when a Chinook helicopter went down while attempting a nighttime landing on a small mountaintop in eastern Kunar province, killing 10 U.S. troops.

Aircraft are used extensively in Afghanistan by both NATO and the Afghan government forces to transport and supply troops because the terrain is mountainous and roads are few and primitive.

Lacking shoulder-fired missiles and other anti-aircraft weapons, the Taliban rely mostly on machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades to fire at aircraft during takeoffs and landings.

Most helicopter crashes in the country have been accidents caused by maintenance problems or factors such as dust.

On Wednesday, NATO said insurgents attacked a NATO and Afghan army outpost in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border and at least 25 of the militants were killed in the resulting skirmish.