12 Turkish soldiers killed in Kabul crash

BEIJING. March 17. KAZINFORM A helicopter has crashed into a house on the outskirts of the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing 12 Turkish soldiers on board.

The crash came amid growing unease among NATO partner countries over the increasingly unpopular and costly war that has foreign troops set to leave Afghanistan late 2014.

Afghan authorities said the helicopter crashed into a house in Bagrami district of Kabul due to "technical problems".

Local residents said they saw additional people injured. A team had been sent to the scene for an investigation. Turkey has over 1, 800 soldiers serving in Afghanistan, most of them around the capital. Their mission is limited to patrols. Turkish soldiers do not take part in combat operations.

Source: Xinhuanet