TWO U.S. service members were killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan yesterday, the military said.

U.S. Forces Afghanistan said preliminary reports do not indicate the crash was caused by enemy fire but said the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

The statement does not say where the crash occurred.

The service members were not immediately identified. Department of Defense policy is to withhold the names of those killed for 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete.

There are around 13,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan supporting missions to train, advise and assist Afghan forces under a NATO mission known as resolute support, and to conduct counterterrorism operations.

(SD-Agencies)