Another Day, Another Helicopter

I'll just bet they haven't confirmed how many people have injured or killed from yet another helicopter going down. This one is in Afghanistan no less. On the night of the President's big speech on Iraq, violence from the Taliban is on the rise again.

"A U.S. CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter, which a military official said may have been carrying 15 to 20 people, crashed Tuesday while ferrying reinforcements to fight insurgents in a mountainous region in eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban claimed to have shot down the aircraft.

The fate of those on board the helicopter, which crashed near Asadabad in Kunar province, was not immediately known, the U.S. military said. A statement said the cause of the crash was unclear.

Other helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were sent to the crash site, the military said. Other details were not available, according to U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara.

In Washington, a U.S. military official said early reports indicated 15 to 20 people were on board. There was no word on their condition, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because it involved initial operational reports.

Provincial Gov. Asadullah Wafa told The Associated Press that the Taliban downed the aircraft with a rocket. He gave no other details."

Afghanistan. The other Iraq.

Update:They still aren't confirming the deaths of any soldiers but when they do, it will be the "deadliest blow yet to American forces in Afghanistan, already grappling with an insurgency that is widening rather than winding down."