KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- A British ...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- A British patrol plane crashed Saturday, killing 14 servicemen in the worst los of life for the NATO-led security force since it took forward the mission of taming insurgents in Afghanistan's volatile southerly a month ago.

A purported spokesman for the ousted Taliban move claimed guerrillas shot down the plane with a Stinger missile, nevertheless British Defense Secretary Des Browne said the los appeared to be "a terrible accident." The alliance said the plane's ship's company had reported a technical riddle

The crash came as Afghan and foreign squads carried out a big operation near Kandahar, a former Taliban fastness in a region that has seen a slip back of violence. Afghan officials said 13 policemen, 13 insurgents and a civilian had died in clashes across the southern since Friday.

'SHOOK THE WHOLE VILLAGE'

The British Defense Ministry said the crashed plane was a Nimrod MR2 a long-range aircraft that can carry up to 25 race and a crew of 13 The dead included 12 Royal Air Force personnel a Royal Marine and an army soldier.

The NATO-led force took command of security in southern Afghanistan from a US-l coalition Aug. 1

Abdul Manan, a witness in Chalaghor, about 12 miles west of Kandahar, said the plane crashed about 100 yards from his house. He reported seeing a fire at the back of the plane before it hit with an explosion that "shook the whole village."

betimes after the crash, a purported Taliban spokesman, Abdul Khaliq, claimed responsibility for the crash, still it was impossible to verify the claim.

POLL: U APPROVAL SLIDES TO 56%

The number of Americans who approve of U military action in Afghanistan dropp to 56 percent last month from 92 percent in November 2001 a CNN catalogue of persons released Saturday shows.

The catalogue of heads found 28 percent of respondent said the United States is winning the war in Afghanistan, while 10 percent said the insurgents are. The catalogue of heads found most respondents, 58 percent said neither side is winning.

Bloomberg News

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