Aug 6, 2011 07:24 PM GMT+04:30

Taliban claim responsibility for NATO crash

By David Ariosto and Barbara Starr, CNN

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- More than two dozen American troops are believed to have died in the deadly helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, a U.S. military official told CNN.

Many, if not all, were special operations forces, the official said. If the numbers are confirmed, the incident would be the most deadly for coalition forces in the Afghan war, according to a CNN count of international troop deaths.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai issued a statement saying as many as 31 U.S. special forces and seven Afghans were killed and offered "deep regret" to U.S. President Barack Obama.