Two U.S. military personnel were killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan, the NATO Resolute Support mission in the country said.
The two service members were killed on Wednesday, November 20, Resolute Support said in a statement without giving further information about the location or the type of aircraft.
Update, November 21: The Department of Defense on Thursday identified the service members as Chief Warrant Officer 2 David C. Knadle, 33, from Tarrant, Texas and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kirk T. Fuchigami Jr., 25, from Keaau, Hawaii.
Both soldiers were assigned to 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, the Pentagon said.
They were killed in Afghanistan’s eastern Logar province “when their helicopter crashed while providing security for troops on the ground,” the statement said.
“The cause of the crash is under investigation, however preliminary reports do not indicate it was caused by enemy fire,” the statement said.
The Taliban claimed that it had shot down a CH-47 Chinook helicopter in Logar province.
“The Taliban statement is false … there is no indication at this time the helicopter was shot down,” a Resolute Support spokesperson told The Defense Post.
The U.S. operates a number of helicopters in Afghanistan, including the Chinook, the AH-64 Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk.