Turkish chopper emergency landing in Logar, crews abducted

Map showing Lowgar province in Afghanistan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

According to local authorities in central eastern Logar province of Afghanistan, a helicopter has made an emergency landing in Azra district on Sunday evening.
The officials further added that the helicopter belongs to Turkish military forces.

Deputy provincial governor Mohammad Hashim Faizi confirmed the report and said the helicopter made emergency landing due to bad weather conditions.

However he said that there are fears that crew have been taken by Taliban militants.

He said the exact number of personnel on board were not clear however it seems that Taliban militants have abducted at least six Turkish engineers.

In the meantime head of the provincial council Abdul Wali Wakil said the helicopter was transporting six Turkish engineers, two engineers from Uzbekistan along with an Afghan engineer and an Afghan national army soldier to Bagram airfield.

He said Taliban militants have taken the hostages to Dara-e-Tang area which is fully under the control of the Taliban group.

from KHAAMA
By Meena Haseeb - 22 Apr 2013, 8:45 am

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Afghan Taliban captures nine foreigners after their helicopter makes emergency landing

from ndtv.com
Updated: April 22, 2013 10:59 IST

Kabul: Taliban insurgents have seized nine people from a civilian helicopter which made an emergency landing in eastern Afghanistan, officials said Monday.

The Turkish civilian helicopter made an emergency landing on Sunday evening, said Rais Khan Sadeq, deputy police chief of Logar province south of Kabul.

"Security forces found the helicopter but the nine people were not in it. They are taken by the Taliban. They are Turkish nationals and are nine people including the crew," Sadeq told AFP.

Hamidullah Hamid, governor of Azr district where the helicopter came down, also said nine Turks on board had been seized by the Taliban.

Hamid said the aircraft, which had come from the eastern city of Khost and was heading for Kabul, belonged to a Turkish company which has a big project in Khost but gave no details.

The International Security Assistance Force in Kabul said the force assisted a search by Afghan authorities for a helicopter but gave no details.

A spokesman said it was a civilian aircraft and not part of ISAF.

Posted in: Afghanistan, Kabul, Khost, Kidnapping, Logar Province, Taliban