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Helicopter crash kills nine in central Afghanistan
KABUL, March 18, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – At least nine people were killed when a
military helicopter crashed in central Afghanistan, the defence ministry said
Thursday.
The crash happened on Wednesday night in a volatile district in Wardak
province, where Afghan forces and local militias have bitterly fought.
“As a result of the incident, four crew members and five security forces”
were killed, the MoD said in a statement.
“The ministry of defense is investigating the cause of the crash.”
Mohibullah Sharifi, the spokesman for the Wardak provincial governor,
confirmed the helicopter crash, but did not provide further details.
Helicopter crashes are common in Afghanistan either due to technical
problems or militant attacks.
In October last year, nine members of the Afghan military were killed when
two army helicopters collided while transporting wounded soldiers in southern
Helmand province.
The Afghan government has been battling a surge in violence across the
country blamed on the Taliban, despite supposed peace talks launched between
the two sides last year.
In the Afghan capital, four people were killed and nine others were
wounded in a blast targeting a bus in east Kabul on Thursday, police said.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1437 hrs