Afghan helicopter crash kills 11 in Kandahar, Isaf says

Eleven people have been killed after a Black Hawk helicopter carrying foreign troops crashed in southern Afghanistan, the Nato-led coalition force says.

Seven American soldiers and four Afghans died in the crash, the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said.

The helicopter came down in the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province, the Afghan authorities said.

Isaf said it was investigating the cause of the crash.

Three of the Afghans killed were members of the security forces, while one was a civilian interpreter, Isaf said in its statement.

The Taliban said it carried out the attack but its claim could not be verified. Correspondents say the group is prone to exaggeration, Kazinform has learnt from BBC News.

Helicopter crashes are not uncommon in Afghanistan, where international forces depend heavily on air transport.

In August 2011, the Taliban shot down an American Chinook near Kabul, killing 30 Americans and eight Afghans in the deadliest single incident for US troops since the war began.

Foreign forces are due to hand over responsibility for security to their Afghan counterparts at the end of 2014.