Afghan military chopper crash kills 17

AP, KABUL: An Afghan military helicopter crashed in a remote region of the southern Zabul province on Thursday, killing 17 people on board — 12 soldiers and five crew members, officials said.
President Ashraf Ghani offered his condolences to the families of those killed, while the Taliban claimed they had shot down the aircraft.
In the capital Kabul, a suicide triuck bomb exploded in a residential area near a government complex early Friday, killing seven people and wounding about 400 others, police and health officials said.
Provincial police chief Mirwais Noorzai said the cause of the helicopter crash was not yet known and was under
investigation. The defense ministry said the crash appeared to have been caused by a technical problem, without
elaborating.
Afzal Aman, the defense ministry's chief of operations, described it as "the worst calamity to hit the air force." He confirmed the casualty figure, and said the dead included a unit commander and 11 soldiers, as well as the crew.
The Afghan military has been fighting the Taliban-led insurgency alone since US and Nato forces concluded their combat mission at the end of last year, shifting to a support and training role instead. Aman said the helicopter was a Russian-made M-17, and was flying between Zabul's capital of Qalat and the town of Shinkay, 20 kilometers (12 miles) away.
The Taliban statement, posted on their website, said the helicopter was "shot down with a rocket launcher." The claim was impossible to verify and the insurgents regularly exaggerate their battlefield gains.
Meanwhile, in eastern Logar province, a suicide bomber driving an explosives-laden truck detonated his payload outside provincial government offices, killing eight people and wounding another 12.

 

Afghan military chopper crash kills 17

AP, KABUL: An Afghan military helicopter crashed in a remote region of the southern Zabul province on Thursday, killing 17 people on board 12 soldiers and five crew members, officials said. President Ashraf Ghani offered his condolences to the families of those killed, while the Taliban claimed they had shot down the aircraft. In the capital Kabul, a suicide triuck bomb exploded in a residential area near a government complex early Friday, killing seven people and wounding about 400 others, police and health officials said. Provincial police chief Mirwais Noorzai said the cause of the helicopter crash was not yet known and was under investigation. The defense ministry said the crash appeared to have been caused by a technical problem, without elaborating. Afzal Aman, the defense ministrys chief of operations, described it as the worst calamity to hit the air force. He confirmed the casualty figure, and said the dead included a unit commander and 11 soldiers, as well as the crew. The Afghan military has been fighting the Taliban-led insurgency alone since US and Nato forces concluded their combat mission at the end of last year, shifting to a support and training role instead. Aman said the helicopter was a Russian-made M-17, and was flying between Zabuls capital of Qalat and the town of Shinkay, 20 kilometers (12 miles) away. The Taliban statement, posted on their website, said the helicopter was shot down with a rocket launcher. The claim was impossible to verify and the insurgents regularly exaggerate their battlefield gains. Meanwhile, in eastern Logar province, a suicide bomber driving an explosives-laden truck detonated his payload outside provincial government offices, killing eight people and wounding another 12.