Nine US troops killed as helicopter crashes

All nine troops killed in the worst helicopter crash for the coalition in Afghanistan in four years were Americans.

The Pentagon did not give any further information on why the aircraft carrying navy special forces went down.

Nato said there were no reports of enemy fire in a rugged area in the Daychopan district of Zabul province, where Tuesday's crash took place.

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Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi claimed that insurgents shot down the helicopter but the Taliban often exaggerates and takes credit for accidents.

The US Defense Department said four of the men were with the navy special forces – three of them Navy Seals – and the rest were soldiers.

The crash was the deadliest since May 2006, when a Chinook helicopter went down while attempting a night-time landing on a small mountaintop in eastern Kunar province, killing 10 US troops.

Aircraft are used extensively in Afghanistan by both Nato and the Afghan government forces to transport and supply troops because the terrain is mountainous and roads are few and primitive.

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Lacking shoulder-fired missiles and other anti-aircraft weapons, the Taliban rely mostly on machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades to fire at aircraft during takeoffs and landings.

Most helicopter crashes in the country have been accidents caused by maintenance problems or the harsh conditions.

Yesterday, Nato confirmed the capture of a Taliban commander operating in Marjah, the site of a major coalition offensive in February.

The commander, who helped supply local militants, was captured during an Afghan and coalition operation in Helmand province on Tuesday.

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After questioning residents at the scene, troops detained the commander and two of his associates. They found 45lb of wet opium – the gum collected from the plant before it is dried – which funds the insurgency.

Nato also raised the death toll from an insurgent attack on a joint Afghan army outpost in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border, saying it left more than 30 militants dead.

Troops at the combat outpost in the Spera district of Khost province returned fire with mortars, on Tuesday, Nato said in a statement. Initial reports said there were no civilian casualties, and there were no casualties among Nato or Afghan troops.

In the south, two civilians died and four were wounded yesterday when an insurgent threw a hand grenade at a police car.

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The grenade missed the car and exploded affecting those stood nearby.

North Korea promotes nuclear team

North Korea has promoted three senior officials involved in nuclear talks with the United States in a reshuffle ahead of its biggest political convention in decades.

First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok Ju, who negotiated a deal with the US in 1994, was promoted to vice premier, and Pyongyang's top nuclear envoy, Kim Kye Gwan, and his deputy, Ri Yong Ho, to the two vice foreign minister positions.

The announcement came days before the ruling Communist Party's biggest convention, where leader Kim Jong Il may promote his son to pave the way for his succession.

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