Two Australians who were members of the NATO International Security Assistance Force were killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan today, according to the Department of Defense.
While the cause of the crash is under investigation, the DoD reports:
There was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash.
The Los Angeles Times reports Australia has roughly 1,500 service members in Afghanistan. This month has been deadly for those troops:
Three other Australians died Wednesday in an "insider" shooting by an assailant in an Afghan military uniform -- an unusually large loss of life in a compressed period of time for a relatively small troop contingent.
The names of those killed haven't yet been released.
