Today.Az » World news » Helicopter crash kills Turkish peacekeepers - UPDATE
16 March 2012 [11:27] - Today.Az
A helicopter crashed into a house on the outskirts of the Afghan capital Kabul today, killing 10 people, including five Turkish soldiers on board, Afghan police have said.
The helicopter belonged to Turkish military, the Associated Press reported.
Mohammad Zahir, head of the Kabul criminal investigation department, says eight of the dead were on board the aircraft and two were on the ground.
"The helicopter crashed into a house in Bagrami district of Kabul due to technical problems and policemen have taken out five bodies who are Turkish nationals," an officer said.
Turkish foreign ministry have confirmed the crash.
Unlike other European members of the NATO-led coalition, Turkey's mission is limited to patrols and its soldiers do not take part in combat operations.
In January, six U.S. Marines were killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan, which followed the death of 30 American personnel, including 22 Navy SEAL commandos, in eastern Afghanistan in August last year.
Compiled from Reuters, AP and AFP by the Daily News staff.
*****
A helicopter crashed into a house on the outskirts of the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Friday, killing five Turkish soldiers on board, a senior Afghan police official told Reuters.
The crash came amid growing unease among NATO partner countries about the increasingly unpopular and costly war as most foreign combat troops set to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
"The helicopter crashed into a house in Bagrami district of Kabul due to technical problems and policemen have taken out five bodies who are Turkish nationals," the officer said.
There was no immediate comment on the crash from NATO or from Turkey, which has more than 1,800 soldiers serving in Afghanistan, most of them around the capital.
Unlike other European members of the NATO-led coalition, Turkey's mission is limited to patrols and its soldiers do not take part in combat operations.
In January, six U.S. Marines were killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan, which followed the death of 30 American personnel, including 22 Navy SEAL commandos, in eastern Afghanistan in August last year.
/Hurriyet Daily News/
|
|
