![afghan helicopter [Getty]](https://www.newarab.com/sites/default/files/media/images/26C75A72-27B3-4F09-A7E3-55E25A7B09E8.jpg "afghan helicopter [Getty]")
At least four killed in Afghan military helicopter crash
At least four killed in Afghan military helicopter crash
The helicopter carrying weapons and ammunition burst into flames during an "emergency landing", officials said.
2 min read
Afghan An Afghan Air Force helicopter flying over Kabul Military Training Centre [Getty]
A military helicopter crashed in Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least four people on board.
Security forces, including the pilot, died when the helicopter carrying weapons and ammunition burst into flames during an "emergency landing" in western Afghanistan, officials said.
The aircraft was flying from Herat to the neighbouring province of Farah on Friday night when it experienced "technical problems", Naser Mehri, a spokesman for the governor of Farah province, told AFP.
Farah police spokesman Mohibullah Mohib said four were killed, including the pilot, while the defence ministry in the capital, Kabul, said five people died.
Read more: Afghan conflict 'could be deadlier than Syria' in 2018
In a WhatsApp message to journalists, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said militants had shot down the "enemy helicopter".
But Afghan officials dismissed the claim. "The helicopter crashed due to a technical issue, not due to Taliban fire," Mehri said.
A barrage of assaults by Taliban militants have forced Afghan forces and foreign allies to move troops and equipment by air.
But lack of training and inadequate planning has led to frequent crashes, Reuters reported.
Security forces, including the pilot, died when the helicopter carrying weapons and ammunition burst into flames during an "emergency landing" in western Afghanistan, officials said.
The aircraft was flying from Herat to the neighbouring province of Farah on Friday night when it experienced "technical problems", Naser Mehri, a spokesman for the governor of Farah province, told AFP.
Farah police spokesman Mohibullah Mohib said four were killed, including the pilot, while the defence ministry in the capital, Kabul, said five people died.
Read more: Afghan conflict 'could be deadlier than Syria' in 2018
In a WhatsApp message to journalists, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said militants had shot down the "enemy helicopter".
But Afghan officials dismissed the claim. "The helicopter crashed due to a technical issue, not due to Taliban fire," Mehri said.
A barrage of assaults by Taliban militants have forced Afghan forces and foreign allies to move troops and equipment by air.
But lack of training and inadequate planning has led to frequent crashes, Reuters reported.
The cause of the crash is being investigated, said a defence ministry official in Kabul.
The Taliban has been fighting to impose their version of Islamist rule, expel foreign forces, and defeat the government since their 2001 ouster by US-led troops.
More In News
