US copter crashed in Taliban trap

PULI ALAM, Afghanistan - The Taliban lured US forces into an elaborate trap to shoot down their helicopter, killing 30 American troops in the deadliest such incident of the war, an Afghan official said on Monday.

A total of 38 people - 30 US troops, many of them special forces, plus seven Afghan commandos and an interpreter - were killed when their Chinook came down during an anti-Taliban operation late on Friday.

The crash marked the biggest single loss of life for American and NATO forces since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan toppled the Taliban in late 2001, shortly after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks.