NATO helicopter makes 'hard landing' in northern Afghanistan, no injuries

KABUL, Afghanistan – The NATO-led coalition says one of its helicopters made a "hard landing" in northern Afghanistan but that there were no injuries.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed militants had fired on an American Chinook transport helicopter in Baghlan province overnight.

But coalition spokesman Capt. Luca Carniel said on Friday that there was no report of insurgent activity in the area at the time of the incident.

Afghan provincial police chief Assadullah Shirzad says the helicopter made an emergency landing but then flew back to its base on its own.

Carniel says the coalition is investigating the incident to determine the cause of the "hard landing" — a term that can mean anything from a crash to an emergency landing.

He says the "aircraft has been recovered."