Afghan Taliban Hold Turks after Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing

Taliban insurgents have seized eight Turks and an Afghan from a civilian helicopter which made an emergency landing in bad weather in eastern Afghanistan, officials said Monday.    The incident happened after the Turkish helicopter landed 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," Sadeq told AFP.    He said the group is made up of eight Turks and one Afghan. Provincial spokesman Din Mohammad Darvish also said eight Turks and an Afghan had been detained. Hamidullah Hamid, governor of Azra district where the helicopter came down, said it had departed from the eastern city of Khost and was heading for Kabul.    A local official who declined to be identified said tribal chiefs are trying to secure the captives' return. A Taliban spokesman could not be reached for comment and the Turkish embassy in Kabul was also unavailable.    The helicopter had been chartered from Afghan-based Khorasan Cargo Airlines. A company official who declined to give his name told AFP seven passengers and three crew were on board but would not give nationalities.

Source: AFP 22-04-2013 - 11:12 Last updated 22-04-2013 - 11:12

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