Lt. j.g. Amy Hession says the helicopter made a hard landing in the eastern province of Logar late Monday night. She says there were no initial reports of insurgent activity nearby.
The Taliban claimed in a statement Tuesday that its fighters shot down the helicopter and killed all those aboard. The insurgents often exaggerate success of attacks or claim accidents as victories.
The Taliban also has claimed to have shot down another helicopter that crashed this month in Kandahar province, killing seven American service members and four Afghans. U.S. officials said the helicopter did not appear to be hit by enemy fire, but the official investigation is not complete.
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