Seventeen Spanish soldiers were killed Tuesday when their helicopter crashed near the western Afghan city of Herat, Spain's defence ministry said, confirming earlier reports.
In a brief statement, the ministry said the cause and circumstances of the crash south of Herat at around 11:00 am local time were still undetermined.
"Seventeen Spanish soldiers travelling on a Cougar helicopter of the Spanish armed forces died today in Afghanistan," it said.
Around 1,000 Spanish troops are currently in Afghanistan on a UN-sanctioned peacekeeping mission as the country prepares for crucial legislative elections next month.
The Internet edition of Spain's El Mundo newspaper said the highest ranked soldier who died was a captain. It also said the chopper was being accompanied by another Spanish aircraft.
NATO CHIEF OFFERS CONDOLENCES Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer offered his condolences Tuesday to the Spanish authorities and people after the death of 17 Spanish soldiers in a helicopter crash near the northern Afghan city of Herat.
"On behalf of the alliance and with regret, I offer my deepest condolences to the Spanish people and government as we mourn the loss of Spanish military personnel who died today in a tragic helicopter crash near the city of Herat in Afghanistan," he said in a statement.
He also stressed that Spain had "been a strong and consistent supporter" of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan".
Seventeen Spanish peacekeepers were killed when a Nato helicopter crashed during training in western Afghanistan Tuesday, and Madrid said it was not ruling out an attack.
De Hoop Scheffer, who is on holiday, learned of the crash Tuesday morning and spoke with Spanish authorities, a spokesman at Nato's headquarters here said.
The soldiers who died were part of a contingent of 850 Spanish troops who are in Afghanistan to help provide security in the run-up to parliamentary elections on September 18 as part of the UN-mandated ISAF force.