Afghan soldiers killed in chopper crash

At least 17 people, including five crew members, died in the Thursday crash in the southern province of Zabul, government spokesman Gul Islam Seyal said.

"There were two helicopters," he said. "One of them had a technical problem and contacted the other one and informed the pilot of an emergency landing. As soon as it landed, it caught fire."

Defense Ministry's chief of operations Afzal Aman confirmed the number of victims, and described the crash of the Russian-made Mi17 as "the worst calamity to hit the air force."

The victims included a unit commander and 11 soldiers, Aman said.

The chopper was carrying troops headed for home leave, according to a security source cited by the DPA news agency.

No shots fired

After the incident, Taliban claimed that they had shot the aircraft with a rocket launcher. However, the insurgents are known to exaggerate their battlefield achievements.

While Defense Ministry announced that the investigation was "ongoing," several officials indicated that a technical fault caused the crash.

The accompanying helicopter had reported no enemy fire before the Mi17 hit the ground, according to Afghan officials.

Fledgling air force

Afghanistan army has 83 Mi17 transport helicopters, and a large number are "currently under maintenance during the fighting season" said Graeme Smith, an analyst with the International Crisis Group in Afghanistan.

"Maintenance is a serious issue for the Afghan Air Force and it is hurting their ability to provide air support to ground forces," Smith told the AFP news agency.

Kabul has been stretching its military resources since the NATO combat mission ended in December, with Taliban insurgents turning up the pressure.

Just hours before the helicopter crash, a truck-bomb exploded in a police compound in the eastern province of Logar, killing at least eight people. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the suicide blast.

dj/jil (AP, Reuters, dpa, AFP)