Four service members die in plane crash in Afghanistan, NATO says

Four international service members have died in a plane crash in southern Afghanistan.
Initial reporting of Saturday's crash indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time, NATO said.
It has not been confirmed whether the victims, all working for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), were military staff or civilians, nor their nationalities.

Four members of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have died in a plane crash in southern Afghanistan (file photo)

The military alliance did not confirm exact location of the crash but local authorities in the southern province of Zabul, said an aircraft belonging to foreign forces crashed Saturday afternoon in Shah Joy district.
Mohammad Jan Rasoulyar, deputy governor of Zabul, said the site had been surrounded by international forces.

Earlier today reports came through of several Taliban attacks in the northern Faryab Province.
Military insurgents are believed to have taken control of several villages in the province's Qaisar district.

Protest: Campaigners march to RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, which started flying armed drones over Afghanistan this week

Anti-drone: Hundreds of protesters joined the march proclaiming drones make it too easy to launch deadly attacks from a distance and out of public sight

More than 60 insurgents had been killed, a spokesman for the provincial governor, Jawed Baidar, told the BBC.
He added that women and children are believed to have been among the casualties.
Earlier on Saturday anti-war protesters descended on a Royal Air Force base in Waddington, Lincolnshire, which started flying armed drones over Afghanistan this week

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE (ISAF)

ISAF is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the UN Security Council in 2001.

Its main purpose is to train the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and aid in rebuilding key government institutions, but has engaged in combat.
All NATO member states contribute with troops to ISAF, as well as a number of non-member states including Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and Finland.

About 400 peace activists marched on the RAF base to protest against the new drone-operating squadron announced by the Ministry of Defense Thursday.
Previously, British drones were operated only from a U.S. Air Force base in Nevada.
Protesters marched to the perimeter fence of RAF Waddington saying drones make it too easy to launch deadly attacks from a distance and out of public sight.
‘Because of their remote nature, there is no risk to any of our forces and that makes it easier to launch weapons and makes it much easier for politicians to get involved in warfare,’ said Chris Cole of the Drone Campaign Network.
The Reaper drones are used for intelligence and surveillance missions but also are equipped with missiles and bombs.
The MoD says drone operators ‘adhere strictly to the same laws of armed conflict and are bound by the same clearly defined rules of engagement as other RAF pilots.’

DAILYMAIL