Civilian helicopter crashes in southern Afghanistan

(CNN) - A civilian helicopter went down in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province Tuesday, a NATO representative and local police said.

Thousands of U.S. and British forces are leading separate offensives against Taliban militants throughout the province.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but a Taliban spokesman said the militant group shot down an aircraft and had killed 37 foreign soldiers. Taliban claims have often turned out to be exaggerated under similar circumstances.

The helicopter crashed in Helmand's Sangeen district, according to a local police chief, who said the cause of the crash wasn't clear.

– CNN's Atia Abawi and journalist Aleem Agha contributed to this report.