Two U.S. service members killed in helicopter crash

Two U.S. service members were killed Wednesday when their helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said without providing more details.

The statement said the cause of the crash is under investigation, but preliminary reports do not indicate it was caused by enemy fire.

However, the Taliban promptly claimed to have shot down the helicopter in eastern Logar province.

Wednesday’s crash brought the number of U.S. deaths in Afghanistan this year to 19. There have also been three non-combat deaths this year.