Nato Helicopter Crash In Kabul Leaves 14 Dead

A Turkish military helicopter has crashed into a house on the outskirts of the Afghan capital, killing 14 people, according to officials.

The Turkish general staff confirmed the death of 12 soldiers aboard the Sikorsky aircraft, which was on an International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) mission when it went down.

The Afghan interior ministry confirmed that two girls were also killed after the aircraft hit a multi-storey home in Bagrami district, east of the capital at 10.25am local time.

It said a woman and another child were wounded in the incident, close to a huge Nato air base.

"Twelve of our military personnel on board were martyred," the Turkish military said in a statement.

Foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said it appeared that the aircraft crashed during an emergency landing and that the pilot tried to avoid the residential district.

The death toll is believed to be the heaviest encountered so far by the Turkish army in war-torn Afghanistan .

Turkey, Nato's sole Muslim member, currently has 1,800 soldiers serving in the Isaf.

In October, Turkey extended by another year its Kabul regional command of the Isaf.

Unlike other European members of Isaf, Turkey's mission is limited to patrols and its troops do not take part in combat operations.

The crash comes as officials in Kabul await a feared response from Afghan protesters following Friday prayers .

Tension remains high in Afghanistan, with anger aimed at Isaf personnel after the killing of 16 civilians last weekend by a US soldier.

Sky News' Stuart Ramsay said: "The decision by the US to move the alleged killer to Kuwait has not gone down well here.

"Many Afghans wanted the soldier to be tried in an Afghan court or at the very least in Afghanistan."