Pakistani MI-17 helicopter crash-lands in Afghanistan’s Logar province and crew taken hostage by Taliban

Kabul/Islamabad August 5: An Mi-17 Pakistani helicopter made a crash landing in a remote district of eastern Afghanistan’s Logar province on Thursday, crew unhurt but reportedly taken hostage by Taliban, a provincial government spokesman said.

“The initial findings by our provincial security sources showed that a Pakistani chopper made an emergency landing at around midday in Azra district of Logar province. But the crew remained unhurt following the crash,” spokesman Salem Salah told media.

Mystery also surrounds how the helicopter caught fire. According to some eye witnesses, the helicopter caught fire as it was landing, whereas there are others who claim that the Taliban torched the helicopter after they took its crew members as captors.

nitially it was reported that the Mi-17 belongs to the Punjab Government and that six government officials and one Russian engineer were in the helicopter. However, it was later reported by an Afghan news channel that the helicopter belonged to Pakistan Army.

While the Pakistani army has denied its helicopter was involved in the incident in the mountainous Afghan province bordering Pakistan, some reports suggested that the helicopter was belonging to the government of Pakistan.

The Pakistani Embassy in Kabul has reportedly announced that the chopper was en route to Russia for maintenance.

Unofficial sources said the six-member crew was captured by Taliban militants after the chopper went down in the province 60 km south of Kabul.