Helicopter Crash Near Afghan Base Kills 4 U.S. Troops

WASHINGTON -- In the worst loss of life for the U.S. military in Afghanistan in almost a year, four Americans were killed Thursday when their Army helicopter crashed near the Bagram air base, defense officials said.

There were no indications that the crash of the Black Hawk was caused by hostile fire, said Lt. Col. Martin Compton, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, which is in charge of military operations from East Africa through Central Asia.

Officials said the cause of the crash was not immediately clear but that it appeared to be an accident.

The helicopter went down about 7:30 p.m. in an area known as the East Training Range, about seven miles east of the air base that is the center of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, Compton said.

Outside the southern city of Kandahar today, a powerful bomb destroyed the Rambasi Bridge, killing at least 16 people on a bus there, Deputy Police Chief Ustad Nazir Jan said.

Jan suspected the Taliban and Al Qaeda, or possibly guerrilla fighters loyal to renegade rebel commander Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. He said he believed that Afghan soldiers were the target of the explosion, about half a mile from an army post.

The copter crash was the deadliest day for the U.S. military in Afghanistan since March 4, 2002, when seven soldiers were killed and 11 wounded in an offensive against Taliban and Al Qaeda forces.

Since military action in Afghanistan began in October 2001, at least five U.S. helicopters have crashed or had hard landings that hurt American troops. Two Army Rangers and two Marines have been killed, and at least 11 other troops injured.

Compton did not immediately have information on the identities or branch of the military of the four victims and said that information would not be released until relatives of the dead were notified.

The Black Hawk is a utility transport aircraft that is a key to the Army’s mobility.

The Black Hawk normally has a crew of four and is designed to carry 11 combat-ready air assault troops.

Wednesday’s American fatalities were the first in Afghanistan since Dec. 21.