(RFE/RL) December 3, 2006 -- Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents are claiming responsibility for shooting down a NATO-chartered helicopter, which is missing in the south of the country.
The helicopter left Kandahar for the Tirin Kot NATO base in Oruzgan Province on December 2, but later lost contact.
A NATO spokesman could not confirm or deny the Taliban statement. It is not clear how many people were on board.
(AFP, AP)
A U.S. military vehicle damaged by insurgents near Kandahar (epa)
HOMEGROWN OR IMPORTED? As attacks against Afghan and international forces continue relentlessly, RFE/RL hosted a briefing to discuss the nature of the Afghan insurgency. The discussion featured Marvin Weinbaum, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and RFE/RL Afghanistan analyst Amin Tarzi.
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