Taliban captures 11 US military personnel aboard chopper
Taliban militants say
they have captured 11 US military personnel after their helicopter made
an emergency landing in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Logar, Press TV reports.
Afghan officials confirmed the news, saying the captives included
several Turkish engineers and at least one Russian pilot. They said one
Afghan pilot was also onboard the helicopter.
Abdul Vali Vakil, the head of Logar Provincial Council, said on Monday that the chopper came down "last night because of bad weather."
The militants claim to have completely destroyed the helicopter after detaining the foreigners.
Reports say Afghan authorities were trying to negotiate with the militants to release the hostages.
On April 9, a NATO helicopter crashed in the eastern province of Nangarhar. Two US soldiers were killed in the incident.
Last month, six foreign troopers including five US soldiers were also killed in two separate helicopter crashes in Afghanistan.
According to icasualties.org, over 30 US-led soldiers have been killed in the war-torn country since the beginning of 2013.
The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. While the war removed the Taliban from power, insecurity remains across the country.
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