Investigators yesterday probed a reconnaissance plane crash that killed 14 troops, the worst loss of life for British forces in Afghanistan. Meanwhile NATO and the Afghan army pressed on with an operation to clear the surrounding district of Taliban militants.

A purported Taliban spokesman claimed its militia shot the plane down on Saturday in Kandahar Province, but British Defence Secretary Des Browne said the crash appeared to be "a terrible accident." NATO said the plane had reported a technical problem before crashing.

Britain's Defense Ministry said the plane was a Nimrod MR2 maritime patrol aircraft that is often used for reconnaissance and communications.

The dead consisted of 12 Royal Air Force personnel, a Royal Marine and an army soldier. There were no survivors.

The plane crashed near Chalaghor village, about 20 kilometres west of the city of Kandahar. A witness there, Abdul Manan, said he saw a small fire at the back of the plane before it crashed about 100 metres from his home with a huge explosion that "shook the whole village."

Major Quentin Innis, a NATO spokesman, said British military investigators supported by air safety personnel from the NATO force began a crash probe on Saturday and were still at the scene yesterday to piece together what happened.

Meanwhile, dozens of insurgents have been killed in an operation by Afghan and NATO forces to clear out Taliban fighters from a volatile district near Kandahar, NATO said yesterday. Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi, citing intelligence reports, said 89 suspected Taliban militants and an uncertain number of civilians had been killed during two days of fighting in Panjwayi district.

Source: China Daily