Chopper collision kills 9

Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan: Two helicopters crashed in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province yesterday, killing nine people aboard, the ministry of defence said, as a Taliban offensive in the region continued.

Two local officials said the helicopters collided when they were evacuating wounded soldiers from a battleground in the province’s Nawa district.

For a week, Taliban militants have been attacking various parts of the southern province, including the capital, Lashkar Gah, amid no apparent progress in intraAfghan peace talks.

About 35,000 people have fled the fighting. The United Nations estimated yesterday about 200 had been killed or injured. — DPA