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Afghan helicopter crash kills 6 NATO soldiers

Xinhua, January 20, 2012

•  A NATO helicopter crashed Thursday in restive southern Afghanistan's region, killing six NATO service members on board, the military alliance confirmed on Friday morning.

  "I confirm that there was a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing six NATO service members on board. However, there is no reported enemy activity in that area," a spokesperson said.

  The spokesperson, however, did not provide details and the nationalities of the victims, only saying "it is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities."

  ISAF has started to investigate into the incident.

  Troops mainly from the United States, Britain and Australia have been stationed in the southern region within the framework of ISAF to fight Taliban militants there.

  The latest casualties brings to 23 the number of NATO forces who have been killed in Afghanistan so far this month.

  Over 560 NATO soldiers have been killed in the insurgency-hit country in 2011.

  Forty nine countries are contributing 130,000-strong forces in Afghanistan with over 90,000 of them American mainly stationed in the east and south, followed by 9,500 from the United Kingdom mainly based in southern Afghanistan.

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