Helicopter Crash Kills 5 NATO Troops in Afghanistan

NATO and British officials say five international troops have been killed in a British military helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan.

The U.S.-led NATO coalition did not provide details on Saturday's crash, saying the accident is under investigation.

But a Kandahar provincial police spokesman, Zia Durrani, said the aircraft went down in the province's Takhta Pul district, about 50 kilometers from the Pakistani border.

Local officials said the helicopter crashed due to technical problems.

British defense officials said the aircraft was British but refused to elaborate on the nationalities of the dead.

The crash marks one of the deadliest days this year for foreign forces in Afghanistan, as they prepare to hand over responsibility for security to the Afghans by the end of this year.

Some information for this report comes from AP, AFP and Reuters.