NATO and U. S. Defense officials have confirmed that 31 U.S. service members and 7 Afghan troops died Saturday in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

Reports indicate that as many as twenty of those killed were members of the Navy's SEAL Team 6.

That's the special unit that killed Osama Bin Laden during a raid in Pakistan earlier in the year.

President Obama expressed his regrets in a statement issued by the White House.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai broke the news early on Saturday.

Taliban spokesman have claimed that they shot the helicopter down.

U.S. and NATO officials confirm that the incident occurred in an area known for hostile activity, but have declined to confirm that enemy fire brought the chopper down.

KRMG News has learned that there is a meeting planned for families of service members deployed in the war zone Saturday evening in Sand Springs.

We plan to cover the meeting and will have a full report on Sunday.