US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan say that eight US personnel have been killed in a helicopter crash in the southeast of the country.
The Chinook transport helicopter came down before dawn in the southeastern province of Zabul, about 250 kilometres southwest of the capital, Kabul, after reporting mechanical failure.
Coalition spokesman Lieutenant Colonel David Accetta said that 14 other soldiers were injured, and that all were US personnel.
Residents of the area told wire services the helicopter hit the ground a couple of kilometres from a highway between the capital and the southern city of Kandahar.
The coalition say the crash was caused by engine failure although the Taliban claims to have shot it down.
