Sixteen Americans dead as helicopters crash in Afghan raids

Sixteen Americans died in a series of helicopter crashes and Taliban attacks across Afghanistan in one of the bloodiest days since the 2001 invasion. Ten people were killed and at least 26 wounded when a Chinook helicopter crashed in western Afghanistan yesterday during a predawn battle with insurgents. In Helmand province, in the south of the country, four soldiers were killed and two seriously wounded when two helicopters collided in mid-air, officials said. Two more soldiers died in separate incidents.The loss of life on Monday was the highest in a single day for US forces since 2005. It underlined the sense of crisis about the war in Washington, where President Obama chaired his sixth key Afghan strategy session yesterday in less than a month.