Five British troops were killed on Saturday in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan, in what appeared to be a “tragic accident”, the Ministry of Defence in London said.
The Lynx helicopter crashed during a routine flight in Kandahar province killing three members of the Army Air Corps, a member of the Royal Air Force and an army reservist with military intelligence who were all on board, the ministry said.
It is the largest single loss of life for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) since a US helicopter crashed in December after being hit in a Taliban insurgent attack.
Taliban militants said their fighters had shot down the British helicopter, although the insurgent group often makes erroneous claims of responsibility.
