Afghan copter crash kills 7 people

ISLAMABAD, Oct 9 (KUNA) -- A helicopter of Afghan Air Force (AAF) crashed in Afghanistan's northern Baghlan province on Sunday, killing at least seven people including crewmembers, said Ministry of Defense (MoD).
The MoD said in a statement that the Mi-17 helicopter, flying supplies to an army camp in Qarghan Tapa area of Dand-i-Ghori distri, went down due to a technical fault early morning. The dead included four crewmembers and three soldiers, the statement added. According to local media, the chopper was delivering supplies to around 200 soldiers, who have been besieged by Taliban rebels in the area for the last four days.
At least two security personnel have been killed and eight others wounded in fighting over the past four days.
The helicopter was shot down with a rocket by the Taliban fighters in the mountainous area, the media said.
The crash triggered a clash, which was still ongoing. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that the fighters belonging to his group shot down the helicopter. An investigation into the incident went underway. (end) sbk.hm