1 dead as NATO helicopter crashes in Daman

KANDAHAR CITY (PAN helicopter crashed in southern Kandahar province on Saturday evening, killing one coalition service member and wounding another, officials said.

The chopper crashed in Daman district, a few kilometres west of Kandahar City, the capital of southern Kandahar province, one official said, ruling out enemy involvement.

Gubernatorial spokesman Javed Faisal told Pajhwok Afghan News the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior, used for surveillance, went down after developing a technical fault.

He had no immediate information about casualties, but the US-led coalition acknowledged the loss of one soldier and injuries to another. The helicopter could carry two people. No civilian life or property loss has been reported so far.

Faisal said the crash took place in an area where no Taliban activity had been observed in recent past. It was the second such incident this week in Kandahar. A Black Hawk crashed outside Kandahar City on Monday, killing five US troops.

Meanwhile, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said cause of the incident was under investigation, but initial reports indicate there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash.

ma/mud

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