Helicopter crash in Afghanistan kills 38 soldiers.
Hit by gunfire from a militant last night, the aircraft crashed, killing 31 American soldiers and seven Afghans; the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
A helicopter crash killed 31 U.S. special forces soldiers and seven Afghan soldiers in Afghanistan's central Wardak province, President Hamid Karzai said in a statement. It was the deadliest loss of American lives in the country in a single incident since the war began ten years ago.
"The President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Hamid Karazai, expresses his condolences for the accident involving the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) helicopter and the death of 31 members of the US special forces," the statement said.
The helicopter, a Chinook, was hit by gunfire from a militant on Friday night as it was taking off after a night raid, an Afghan official said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
A Taliban spokesman said the incident occurred in the Tangee Joy Zarine area of Wardak. He said eight Taliban members also died in fighting at the site.
US military officials confirmed the accident, but said they are still investigating and could not comment on its causes. The US has increasingly used night raids by Special Operations to attack the Taliban, a tactic that has been criticized by the Karzai government. (Source: Dow Jones)