An US military helicopter was shot down in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan yesterday with 17 soldiers on board, it has been confirmed. The fate of the troops on board is not known.

A rescue mission is currently under way at the crash site, which is near Asadabad in Kunar Province, an area known to be a stronghold of Taleban guerrillas, who are fighting the American military and the new Government of Afghanistan.

Yesterday the local provincial governor and a spokesman claiming to represent the Taleban said that guerrillas had shot down the helicopter with a rocket, and that the attack had been filmed.

The helicopter was bringing reinforcements to shore up "Operation Red Wing", an ongoing mission to fight militants in Kunar. "Initial reports indicate the crash may have been caused by hostile fire. The status of the service members is unknown at this time," a US military statement said.

"This is a tragic event for all of us, and our hearts and prayers go out to the families, loved ones and service members still fighting in the area...Our courage and commitment to America’s fight in the global war on terror will not waver," said US Brigadier-General Greg Champion at Bagram Air Base, just hours after President Bush spoke to America on prime-time television to rally support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Yesterday's crash was the second of a US Chinook in Afghanistan in less than three months and could turn out to be the deadliest since the war in Afghanistan began in October 2001. On April 6, 18 people, including 15 soldiers, were killed when their Chinook crashed in a dust storm in Ghazni province southwest of the capital, Kabul.

Kunar Province, which sits on the eastern border of Afghanistan and neighbours Pakistan, has become more and more turbulent in recent months as American military forces have intensified their operations against Taleban fighters and Al-Qaeda militants in the area.

According to the Associated Press, 465 suspected insurgents, 29 US troops, 43 Afghan police and soldiers, and 125 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan in the last three months, amid fears that the violence will increase in the run-up to legislative elections in September.

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