KANDAHAR, Feb 13: A US military MC-130 aircraft carrying nine crew and an undisclosed number of passengers has crashed in Afghanistan, a spokesman at the US base at Kandahar airport said at a news briefing on Wednesday.

The plane crashed late on Tuesday, but the spokesman declined to give details of its location or to say whether there had been any casualties.

The crash was the latest in a series involving US military personnel in the region since military action was launched against the Taliban in October.

Early last month, a US military refuelling plane crashed in Pakistan, killing all seven Marines on board.

Two Marines were killed and five injured when their helicopter crashed in Afghan mountains on Jan 20.

In December, a Marine helicopter burst into flames after crashing in southern Afghanistan, injuring one Marine on board and one on the ground.

And in November a helicopter-load of elite US troops crash-landed in Afghanistan after being forced down by bad weather.

US military officials also said on Wednesday an American soldier had been wounded about two kilometres east of the Kandahar airbase after stepping on a mine or unexploded ordnance.—Reuters