KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- At least five Afghan army personnel were injured after a military helicopter made a crash landing in southern province of Kandahar overnight, a local official said Monday.

"The incident took place outside Kandahar airport in Daman district shortly after Afghan Air Force helicopter took off from the airport in Daman late Sunday night," provincial government spokesman Aziz Ahmad Azizi told Xinhua.

None of the injured suffered life-threatening wounds and were transported to an army camp, he said.

The official ruled out insurgents' activities at the area, saying mechanical failure had caused the crash in the province, 450 km south of Kabul.

The incident occurred as violence has been on the rise as Afghan security forces are fighting against a surge in attacks by anti-government fighters since the drawdown of foreign forces four years ago.

At least eight Afghan air force helicopters have crashed so far this year. On Nov. 24, two Afghan air force personnel were killed after a chopper went down in Kandahar's Maruf district. Enditem

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