The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan says all 16 people aboard a helicopter that crashed Wednesday in bad weather in southeastern Afghanistan were killed.
A coalition spokesman says 12 bodies have been recovered and four are missing. He said those on board included a mix of Afghans and foreigners, including two Dutch soldiers serving with the International Security Assistance Force.
The cause of the crash of the M.I.-8 helicopter was not immediately clear. A purported Taleban spokesman said the insurgents had shot down the chopper.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council has expressed concern about the increasing violence in Afghanistan.
The 15-member body reaffirmed its support for the government of President Hamid Karzai and international forces helping Afghan troops fight a growing Taleban insurgency.
NATO peacekeeping troops will take over security command from the U.S.-led coalition in the southern provinces later this month.
In an unrelated development, a land mine explosion outside a house on the outskirts of Kabul killed a little girl and wounded two other children.
Local police say the attack appeared to be motivated by a family or business feud, but that an investigation is under way.