Update: 14 Americans Die After Helicopters Crash In Afghanistan

October 26, 2009 6:41 a.m. EST

Kabul, Afghanistan (AHN) - Fourteen Americans died on Monday when coalition helicopters crashed in Afghanistan. The separate incidents are still being investigated by NATO.

A mid-air collision between two choppers in southern Afghanistan killed four U.S. troops and injured two other International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) members. No hostile fire was involved.

In western Afghanistan, coalition forces were searching a compound where insurgents were believed to be hiding and conducting drug-related activities, when a helicopter "went down due to unconfirmed reasons," killing 10 Americans.

The crash occurred as NATO forces were leaving the area after a firefight that killed a dozen militants, but is not believed to have been caused by enemy action. Seven American soldiers and three U.S. civilians died, while 14 Afghan security members, 11 U.S. military personnel and one American civilian were injured.

"These separate tragedies today underscore the risks our forces and our partners face every day," ISAF spokesman Col. Wayne Shanks said in a statement.

"Each and every death is a tremendous loss for the family and friends of each service member and civilian. Our grief is compounded when we have such a significant loss on one day. I can never truly express in mere words our condolences for the families for their loss and sacrifice."

This year is turning out to be the most tragic for Americans troops in Afghanistan, where violence has risen about 60 percent from last year. The nation also held its first presidential and provincial elections in three decades on Aug. 20, amid heightened Taliban attacks aimed at intimidating voters.

President Barack Obama meets with his national security council on Monday, hosting the sixth of a series of top-level discussions on how to move forward an eight-year war that critics and some officials have warned may soon fail without the proper action.

There are currently 68,000 troops deployed there, about 38,000 of which are in NATO's International Security Assistance Force.

The number includes the 21,000 troops announced by Obama in March, when he outlined a new strategy that included training and increasing the size of the Afghan Army to 134,000 and the local police force to 82,000 by 2011.

NATO and U.S. commander Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal in August submitted his strategic assessment of the war, saying the engagement is in serious jeopardy unless changes are made in 12 months, such as sending more troops to stem the growing Taliban insurgency. He is said to have asked for 40,000 additional troops in his confidential assessment, excerpts of which have been leaked.

But some Democrats, such as Vice President Joe Biden, have called for keeping troops at current levels and using more drone and missile attacks, while a top liberal, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), has repeatedly called for a timetable for withdrawing troops. Conservatives, meanwhile, have criticized the President for delaying his decision to accept McChrystal's recommendation.

Obama has said he will take a "deliberate process" in determining the next steps for the Afghan war, and that no decisions on resources will be made without "absolute clarity" on the strategy.