An Afghan military helicopter crashed in a southern province early on Thursday, killing five soldiers, an official said.
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An Afghanistan National Army helicopter crashed on Thursday in the Zabul province, where the Taliban have launched several attacks in recent months.
The Defense Ministry said the crash was believed to be caused by a technical problem, but provided no further details. An Afghan official says a suicide bomber exploded a truck loaded with explosives outside provincial government offices in the country’s east, killing many people and wounding a dozen. The Taliban often exaggerate battlefield gains.
In April last year five British troops died when their helicopter crashed in Kandahar province in what London’s Ministry of Defence said at the time appeared to be a “tragic accident”.
While the Afghan Air Force is heavily reliant on global aid and remains a small force, deadly crashes are rare.
Air force attacks on Taliban hideouts are carried out using old Russian-made Mi-17 transport helicopters equipped with artillery and guns.
In fact, the recent reports about Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar’s death stated that he had been buried in Zabul, which is in southern Afghanistan.
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Col. Brian Tribus, a spokesman for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission, which trains and aids the Afghan security forces, said no coalition servicemembers were on the flight.
