Helicopter crash kills two US soldiers

Helicopters play a vital role in missions by special forces

By the BBC's Susannah Price in Islamabad

A US helicopter which was supporting a special forces raid into Afghanistan on Friday night crashed in neighbouring Pakistan, killing two soldiers - the first combat-related American deaths in the campaign in Afghanistan.

The American military said it was an accident, and the helicopter was there to provide rescue assistance.

The thing that's important for me to tell the American people is that these soldiers will not have died in vain. This is a just cause

President George W Bush

Three Pakistani airfields are being used by the Americans for search and rescue missions.

The Taleban say they shot down the helicopter. A Taleban spokesman also said they had repelled the land forces which came into Afghanistan.

Conflicting reports

The Americans said the helicopter was in Pakistani air space, ready to provide emergency rescue assistance during the special forces raid into Afghanistan.

The cause of the crash, which the Americans and Pakistanis say was an accident, is not known.

Pakistani sources said the helicopter landed in Baluchistan province, which borders Afghanistan.

But the Taleban now say their fighters shot down the helicopter while it was flying over southern Afghanistan. However, they said, it landed inside Pakistan.

Pakistani airstrip

Pakistani officials have, meanwhile, confirmed that a third airport has been handed over to the United States - the small airstrip at Dalbandin close to the Afghan border.

The Pakistanis have emphasised that giving the bases to the US forces is part of their commitment to provide logistical support to the American-led coalition.

But they also stress the airports are only being used for emergency search and rescue operations, and not to launch raids into Afghanistan.

Religious hard-line groups have said they will continue to protest against the presence of foreign troops inside Pakistan.