In a statement, Taliban spokesperson Qari Yousef Ahmadi said the tourists were shot and killed in the ambush that took place on a road to the western province of Herat.
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Militants set the Mi-17 transport helicopter on fire and took the six crew to a Taliban-controlled area after it made an emergency landing in Logar province yesterday, local authorities said.
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack on a group of foreign tourists in Afghanistan on 4 July.
Earlier today, Chief of Army Staff, General Raheel Sharif requested Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to assist in the safe recovery of the crew members.
Lieutenant General Asim Saleem Bajwa posted a message on Twitter that General Raheel Sharif talked to General Nicholson, who assured that they would help all the possible help in that regard. “The government has instructed security forces to spare no efforts to secure the release of the crew members”.
The helicopter belongs to the government of Punjab province but most of the crew members were serving or retired Pakistani army or air force personnel.
Spokeswoman Jenny Jones said that the British embassy in Kabul helped its citizens that were affected by the attack and said that the diplomatic institution was coordinating actions with Afghan officials.
“They are being looked after, being provided tea, food, everything”, he said.
According to AFP, local district governor Hamidullah Hamid said six people on board had been taken hostage by the Taliban and transported to an unknown location.
The Afghan defence ministry on Friday confirmed that Pakistani government had sought permission from the Afghan foreign and aviation ministries to use the country’s airspace. It was reported to be operated by the Pakistani army, but an army spokesman denied that report.
Many countries, including the United States and the UK, have longstanding travel advisories warning against all but essential travel to Afghanistan due to the security situation throughout the country.
He said the Afghan government had been informed about the sending of the helicopter to Uzbekistan.
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The deadly assault occurred only three days after Taliban attacked a hotel housing foreign contractors in the Afghan capital of Kabul, leaving one police officer dead and three others injured.
