At least 26 security personnel on board a military helicopter were killed at the border of Orakzai and Khyber agency on Friday when it crashed due to a technical fault, security officials said. The accident occurred on the border of the semi-autonomous Orakzai and Khyber tribal regions.
"An MI-17 (military) helicopter crashed due to a technical fault this afternoon at the border of Orakzai and Khyber agency. Twenty-six security personnel on board embraced shahadat (martyrdom)," a senior security official said. He said that the site of crash was 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Peshawar. Another security official also confirmed the crash and casualties and said, "detailed investigations are being carried out."
Meanwhile, Local Taliban on Friday claimed to have shot down a Pakistan Army helicopter in the country's lawless tribal region, media reports said. A spokesman for the Islamic militants told Sama television that the Taliban had also captured the pilot of the helicopter gunship. If the claim is correct, it could be the first helicopter brought down by the militants in Pakistan. However, a military spokesman denied the claim. "The helicopter crashed in the Orkzai tribal district due to a technical fault," Major General Athar Abbas said.
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