US forces die in Southern Afghanistan

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

A statement from the Nato military coalition today said the helicopter crashed yesterday in an area where there was no enemy activity. The cause of the crash is being investigated.

A US official said the helicopter went down outside Kandahar city, the capital of Kandahar province.

It was the deadliest crash since August, when a US military helicopter crashed during a firefight with insurgents in a remote area of Kandahar. Seven Americans and four Afghans died.

In March 2012 a helicopter crashed near the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing 12 Turkish soldiers on board and four Afghan civilians on the ground.

And in August 2011, insurgents shot down a Chinook helicopter, killing 30 American troops, mostly elite Navy SEALs, in Wardak province in central Afghanistan.