NATO Secures Afghan Crash Site

Posted August 8th, 2011 at 7:20 am (UTC-5)
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NATO said Monday its service members have begun the task of recovering the U.S. Army helicopter and the bodies of those killed in a crash in Afghanistan's central Wardak province.

The international coalition said its troops have secured the site where the twin rotor Chinook transport helicopter went down Saturday, killing 38 people, including 30 U.S. troops, seven Afghan commandos and an Afghan interpreter.

U.S. officials say the troops in the helicopter had come to the remote Tagab Valley to rescue a ground unit of U.S. Army Rangers who had come under fire from insurgents.

Afghan and U.S. forces battled insurgents at the site Sunday as they tried to recover the wreckage from the crash.

The crash was the worst loss of life suffered by U.S. forces in a single incident since the start of the Afghan war in late 2001.

NATO says it is investigating claims that Taliban insurgents shot down the aircraft.

Local Afghan government forces said the helicopter was hit by a rocket following a U.S.-led raid on a Taliban compound. Eight Taliban fighters were killed in the battle.