In Afghanistan, a helicopter crash in the east of the country has left 31 members of the U.S. special forces and seven Afghan soldiers dead. According to media reports today, the accident took place in eastern Wardak province late last evening. An Afghan official said a joint unit of Afghan and NATO-led forces was conducting search operation against Taliban insurgents in Sayed Abad district when the copter went down. An International Joint command release issued in Kabul today says recovery operations are underway. It is the highest number of casualties recorded in a single incident in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, 11 armed insurgents have been killed in the past 24 hours in different provinces of the country. Afghan Interior Ministry press release issued in Kabul today says NATO Coalition Forces with the help of Afghan Police and Army launched joint operations in Kabul, Nangarhar, Sar-e-Pul, Kandahar, Helmand, Nimroz and Logar, provinces in which the insurgents were killed.