Troops die as US helicopter downed

A number of allied troops were killed today when an American helicopter was shot down over the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, a US official said.
The Chinook helicopter was taking part in a new US offensive to bomb hideouts of al-Qaida and Taliban fighters and block their escape routes, Pentagon sources said.

The Pentagon refused to confirm or deny that the helicopter had been lost, and there was no immediate confirmation of how many personnel had been killed or injured. Sky News said that at least six soldiers had died on the craft, which is capable of carrying some 40 people.

This was the first aircraft to be shot down in the war in Afghanistan, launched in October in response to the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on September 11