14 Americans die in helicopter crashes in Afghanistan (1st Lead)

Oct 26, 2009, 10:02 GMT

   Kabul - Fourteen Americans were killed Monday in helicopter crashes in Afghanistan, one of which was believed to be a mid-air collision between two aircraft, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

   Ten US citizens - seven soldiers and three civilians - were killed when a helicopter crashed in western Afghanistan, the ISAF said, without specifying the location.

   It said the cause of the accident was unknown but it was not believed to be the result of militant action.

   Fourteen Afghan troops, 11 US soldiers and one US civilian were also injured.

   The crash occurred after a raid on a compound where suspected militants involved in the narcotics trade were located, the ISAF said.

   More than a dozen militants were killed in a firefight that broke out when an international security force conducted the raid, the ISAF said.

   In southern Afghanistan, two ISAF helicopters were believed to have crashed in mid-air, killing four US soldiers, the ISAF and US military said.

   Hostile fire was not involved in the accident, which injured two soldiers, the ISAF said.