Helicopter crashes in southern Afghanistan (updated)

KABUL, Afghanistan – Six International Security Assistance Force service members died following a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan Jan. 19.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, however initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash.

It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities and more information will be released as appropriate.

ISAF Joint Command

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update 1/20/2012.: 
Sources told Fox News the crash involved a U.S. Marine CH-53 Sea Stallion. A spokesman for NATO’s International Security Assistance Force said six died in the crash, CNN reports. Neither the number nor the nationalities of those on board have been confirmed.
The helicopter crashed about midnight local time (2:30 p.m. ET) in Helmand province. The cause of the crash is not known.
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Qari Yusuf Ahmadi who claims to speak for the Taliban outfit in talks with media via telephone from unknown location claimed " Taliban fighters shot down a Chinook helicopter of foreign troops on Thursday night in Zabir Kariz village which located between Zamindawar and Musa Qala districts."

ISAF still saying: "there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash"

update2:
The helicopter, a CH-53 Sea Stallion, went down in Helmand  province, one US official who asked not to be named told the AFP news agency.
The official confirmed the dead were members of the US military.

update3:
video

update4:
CH-53 squadron confirms 6 dead in Afghanistan

Read more: http://sgt-jim.blogspot.com/2012/01/ch-53-squadron-confirms-6-dead-in.html
more updates coming up later

Posted in: Afghanistan, Helmand Province, International Security Assistance Force, Kabul, NATO