Taliban claim they downed two American helicopters

Al-Jazeera television network distributed the statement for the Ministry for Information of the Taliban movement. It was said in the statement, that the anti-missile defense forces of the Taliban downed tow American helicopters, carrying the special forces soldiers today. Pursuant to the statement, the helicopters were shot down in Gazni province, on the outskirts of Kabul, at least 50 American soldiers were killed. The Taliban promised to distribute the video tape, depicting the fragments of the downed helicopters and dead bodies of the American soldiers.

For the time being the American official authorities have not had any reaction to this information. It was earlier informed, that the US Armed Forces lost an unmanned Predator plane in Afghanistan. It was also officially announced that a helicopter with the special forces soldiers aboard had to perform an emergency landing in Afghanistan, several of the military men were injured. However, the US authorities stated that the crew and the passengers were evacuated and the helicopter was then destroyed with a missile, launched from F-14 Tomcat aircraft. The US administration said that the incidents with the unmanned plane and the helicopter took place due to bad weather conditions.

Reuters photo: Harsh weather was believed to be a factor in the loss on November 2, 2001 of an unarmed Predator spy plane, the first unmanned aerial vehicle lost during Operation Enduring Freedom, the Pentagon said