Five US troops killed in Afghanistan helicopter crash

Five American soldiers have been killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan.

A US official said all five died on board the UH-60 Black Hawk aircraft. The cause of the crash outside Kandahar City last night is being investigated.

A total of seven US troops died in the country yesterday, with two members of the special operations forces shot dead by an Afghan policeman in the eastern province of Wardak. Ten US troops were wounded in the attack. In August last year, a US military helicopter crashed during a firefight with insurgents in Kandahar, killing seven Americans and four Afghans. Insurgents shot down a Chinook in August 2011, killing 30 US troops in Wardak province.

An Israeli military helicopter crashed during a training flight early today in southern Israel. The two pilots of the Bell AH-1 Cobra from the Palmachim airbase were reported to have been killed.