Pakistani chopper crash-lands in eastern Afghanistan, occupants feared captured by Taliban
A Pakistani helicopter has crash-landed in Taliban-controlled territory in eastern Afghanistan, with all passengers and crew feared captured by the militant group.
The chopper went down on Thursday in the restive Logar province, near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan's militancy-riddled mountainous tribal areas.
Senior Pakistani officials say the fate of those on board is not yet clear.
"Six people were boarding it but we are unaware of their fate," AFP quoted as saying a senior government official based in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.
Akhtar Munir, a spokesman for Pakistan’s embassy in the Afghan capital of Kabul has also confirmed the crash.
"An Mi-17 transport helicopter belonging to the Punjab government was scheduled to fly to Russia for repair. We think the same chopper crash-landed in Logar," Munir said, adding, "We don't know anything about the fate of those on-board or why it crash-landed."
Local Afghan officials earlier said that the passengers and crew had been capyured by Taliban militants and taken to an unknown location.
"Those detained by the Taliban are Pakistanis," said Sameem Saleh, spokesman for Logar's governor, adding, "The chopper was not shot but made the landing because of technical failure."
The Taliban militant group has not commented on the incident yet.
Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been tense in recent years over the ongoing militancy in border areas. Senior Afghan officials have frequently blamed elements inside the ISI for harboring the Taliban and sponsoring the militancy, while Islamabad blames the Afghan government for giving shelter to the militants on its side of the border.
The Taliban militants been operating in both Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan.
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