"We are at the wreckage as we speak," Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara told The Associated Press. "We are conducting search and recovery operations. But we are more into the recovery stage."

He declined to elaborate on efforts to find survivors or the bodies of the 17, who were believed to have died in Tuesday's crash.

The British Broadcasting Corp. reported on its Web site that U.S. officials at the main American base near the crash site said 13 bodies had been recovered. Seven other soldiers, including some that were fighting on the ground, were missing, the BBC reported.

U.S. spokeswomen Lt. Cindy Moore declined to comment on the report, saying the military would release a new statement on the crash later Thursday.

A military statement said U.S.-led coalition forces were "currently assessing the cause of the crash and the status of the 17 servicemembers who were on board the MH-47 helicopter."

The 17 on the helicopter comprise eight Navy SEALs and nine Army air crew from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, which is based at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., and Fort Campbell, Ky., military officials said Thursday. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the military has not formally announced the makeup of the forces on board.

O'Hara said "there are still bad guys in the area" around the crash site and that troops were having to "do a recovery and a tactical operation at the same time."

Militants are believed to have shot down the MH-47 helicopter as it was bringing in reinforcements for a battle with suspected al-Qaida fighters.

If those aboard are confirmed dead, the crash would be the deadliest blow yet to American forces in Afghanistan, already grappling with an insurgency that is widening rather than winding down.

A storm that hampered rescuers from reaching the wreckage Wednesday had passed by Thursday. Recovery operations also have been made difficult by the rugged terrain of the remote crash site, reachable only by foot, and continued fighting with militants.

Officials in the United States said they knew of no communications from the crash site near Asadabad, in eastern Kunar province.

Even before word of the crash was announced, a Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility and said he had footage of the attack. As of Thursday, no video had surfaced.

U.S. military spokesman Col. James Yonts said the helicopter was fired on as it approached a landing zone in the mountains. It flew on but crashed about a mile away at dusk.

American officials cited reports from the region that the helicopter either crashed or made a perilous landing on the mountainside, then went down in the ravine, suggesting little hope of survival. They said, however, they could not confirm the deaths, and they spoke on condition of anonymity since rescue operations were ongoing.

Only eight months ago, Afghan and U.S. officials were hailing a relatively peaceful presidential election here as a sign that the Taliban rebellion was finished. That bravado has been yet another casualty in a war some feel could escalate into a conflict on the scale of Iraq's.

The loss of the helicopter follows three months of unprecedented fighting that has killed about 465 suspected insurgents, 43 Afghan police and soldiers, 125 civilians, and 29 U.S. troops. Afghan and American officials have predicted the situation will deteriorate before legislative elections are held in September.

The Taliban have stepped up attacks, and there are disturbing signs that foreign fighters - including some linked to al-Qaida - might be making a new push to sow mayhem. Afghan officials say the fighters have used the porous border with Pakistan to enter the country, and officials have called on the Pakistani government do more to stop them.

The crash was the second of a Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan this year. On April 6, 15 U.S. service members and three American civilians were killed when their chopper went down in a sandstorm while returning to the main U.S. base at Bagram.

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