"US-led copter shot down, 33 killed"

Taliban "militants" say they have shot down a helicopter operated by the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the troubled eastern Afghanistan, Press TV reported. - Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the "militants" successfully targeted the helicopter on Thursday in the Qarabagh district of Kabul Province, and all 33 foreign troops on board were killed in the incident. However, ISAF dismissed the Taliban's claim, saying a mechanical failure forced the helicopter to make an emergency landing. The Western military alliance added that all the crewmembers were rescued and there were no casualties in the incident. In another incident, thirty-one US special operation troops and seven Afghan commandos were killed when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed in the early hours of August 6 in Afghanistan's eastern province of Wardak. The Taliban claimed they downed the helicopter with rocket fire while it was taking part in an attack on a house where militants had gathered.