Crashed helicopter was owned by Alliance

A Northern Alliance helicopter has crashed in Afghanistan killing 18 people.

The casualties include two ethnic Pashtun commanders.

The head guard of the Alliance's late military leader is also dead.

The Afghan Islamic Press has given no details on the flight, but cites Northern Alliance spokesmen as saying the helicopter crashed in the northern Takhar province.

The Pashtun commanders were Arbab Mohammed Hashim and Mirza Ghulam Nasiri, AIP reports.

Also killed was Mohammed Mustafa, who was the commander of special guards for Ahmed Shah Massood, the Northern Alliance military commander who was killed by two Arab suicide bombers on September 9.

The news agency says Pashtuns loyal to Hashim - who had recently joined forces with the Northern Alliance - were claiming the Alliance staged the crash to kill their leader, but the Alliance says it was an accident.