Eight US soldiers were killed and 14 injured when their helicopter crashed in a mountainous, snow-covered area of southern Afghanistan, the US military said today.
The twin-rotor Ch-47 Chinook crashed a few hours before dawn after the pilot suddenly lost power and control of the aircraft, the military said in a statement.
Recent reports indicated a Taliban build-up for operations against the US-led Coalition forces in the area, near Pakistan. But the US military said there was no evidence hostile fire or bad weather was behind the crash.
US Marine Major William Mitchell told CNN: "So far indications are strong that it was related only to the engine problem."
Nato and the Taliban are warning of a major spring offensive as the snows melt in coming weeks and months, after last year saw the bloodiest fighting since the strict Islamists were toppled in 2001.
Taliban commander Hayatullah Khan said the guerrillas had shot down the craft. But the Taliban have made similar claims in the past which have not been substantiated.