KABUL — Two U.S. service members were killed Thursday in a helicopter crash in Helmand province, the third fatal chopper crash in southern Afghanistan in less than two months.
Taliban forces claimed to have shot down the aircraft. The NATO force said an investigation was underway and hostile fire could not be ruled out.
American military deaths in Afghanistan are running at their highest levels of the nine-year war. A record 60 U.S. service members were killed last month, and the latest fatalities bring July’s tally to at least 50.
Two NATO helicopters were lost in June — one shot down and one as a result of mechanical problems.
A coalition military offensive centered on Kandahar, the south’s main city, is gathering momentum after months of delays.
The NATO force is heavily dependent on helicopters for troop transport, resupply runs and combat missions because many of the roads in Afghanistan are poorly maintained and the rough terrain makes ground travel extremely difficult.
But helicopters are vulnerable to malfunction in the harsh climate, and NATO says the Taliban supreme commander, Mullah Mohammed Omar, has ordered field commanders to try to procure more heavy weapons, some of which could be used to target aircraft.
Thursday’s crash took place near Lashkar Gah, Helmand’s provincial capital. Thousands of U.S. Marines and British troops are deployed in the area, which lies close to the town of Marja, the scene of a major offensive earlier this year.
