At least a dozen people were killed south of the Afghan capital of Kabul after US troops spotted two insurgents trying to plant bombs, an Afghan official said.

Airstrikes by Nato helicopters hunting Taliban fighters ripped through three dried mud homes in southern Afghanistan as villagers slept, killing at least nine civilians, including women and children, said residents and the provincial governor.

A US Chinook helicopter crashed in Afghanistan today, killing all five crew members on board, the US military said. It did not appear to have been shot down.