Afghan soldiers shoot down helicopter

Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban are claiming to have shot down a North Alliance helicopter flying over its territory in the northern Samangan province.

The Afghan Islamic Press, an Afghan news agency based in Islamabad, Pakistan, first reported that it was a US spy plane but then said it was unsure which country it was from. Afghanistan last week closed its airspace to all flights.

The aircraft could have entered northern Afghanistan from Russia or a bordering Central Asian state, such as Uzbekistan.

The US has been building up a military arsenal in the region ahead of expected military action on Afghanistan. Some 500 warplanes are thought to have been deployed to the region.