Seventeen service members were on board the CH-47 helicopter that crashed in mountainous terrain west of Asadabad in the Afghan eastern province of Kunar on Tuesday, the US troops confirmed Wednesday.

Initial reports indicate the crash may have been caused by hostile fire, the US military said in a news release. The status of the service members is unknown at the time.

The US-led coalition forces and Afghan National Army forces quickly moved into position around the crash to block any insurgents toward or away from the site while coalition aircraft remained overhead, it added.

The helicopter was transporting forces into the area as part of Operation Red Wing, which is part of the enduring fight to defeat al-Qaida militants and deny them influence in Kunar province.

The crash was the second of a Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan this year. In April, 18 Americans were killed as their helicopter went down in a sandstorm southeastern Afghanistan.

Source: Xinhua