Chopper crashes in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON -- A U.S. Army helicopter with several Americans aboard crashed near the Bagram air base in Afghanistan on Thursday, and some casualties were reported, a senior American official said.\nThe UH-60 helicopter crashed several miles east of Bagram air base in an area known as the East Training Range, said Jim Wilkinson, director of strategic communications at Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Fla.\n"I can confirm that there are U.S. casualties and at this time this incident does not appear to be related to hostile action," Wilkinson said.\nThe helicopter and its crew were on a routine training mission, he said.\nDetails were sketchy and officials said it was not immediately clear what caused the helicopter to crash. They stressed that it appeared to be an accident.\nWilkinson said he had no confirmed information on the number of deaths and injuries or the exact number of people aboard the helicopter, known as the Black Hawk, a utility transport aircraft that is a key to the Army's mobility.\nBagram is the main base of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan.\nThe Black Hawk normally is flown by two pilots and a crew of two. It is designed to carry 11 combat-loaded, air assault troops, and it is capable of moving a 105-millimeter howitzer and 30 rounds of ammunition.\nThe Black Hawk was first deployed in 1978 and it made its combat debut in the October 1983 invasion of Grenada. It performs a variety of missions, including air assault, air cavalry and aeromedical evacuations. In addition, modified Black Hawks operate as command and control, electronic warfare, and special operations aircraft.\nThe last American killed in Afghanistan was Sgt. Steven Checo, 22, a member of the Army's 82nd Airborne. He was shot Dec. 21, 2002, while on a nighttime operation in the eastern province of Paktika, near the border of Pakistan.\nSince U.S. military action in Afghanistan began in October 2001, at least five U.S. helicopters have crashed or had hard landings that have injured U.S. troops. Two Army Rangers and two Marines have been killed, and at least 11 other troops have been injured.