At least five Afghan National Army soldiers, including two pilots, were killed when an ANA chopper crashed in Farah province, local officials said Saturday.

The crash happened on Friday night at about 9pm in Khaksafid district of Farah province, Pajhwok news reported.

Pajhwok quoted Dadullah Qaneh, a member of the provincial council, as saying the crash happened in Ranng village.

He said the helicopter was heading to Farah from 207th Zafar Military Corps when it crash due to technical problems.</s>An Afghan military helicopter carrying weapons and ammunition burst into flames during an "emergency landing" in western Afghanistan, killing at least four people, including the pilot, officials said Saturday.

The aircraft was flying from Herat to the neighbouring province of Farah on Friday night when it experienced "technical problems", Farah provincial governor spokesman Nasir Mehri told AFP.

Farah police spokesman Mohibullah Mohib confirmed the death toll. The defence ministry said five people were killed.

A technical team has been sent to the area to investigate the accident the defence ministry said in a statement.

But in a WhatsApp message to journalists, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said militants had shot down the "enemy helicopter".

The Taliban has stepped up attacks on security forces as Afghan and international players ratchet up efforts to convince the group to engage in peace talks to end the 17-year war.

US officials met with Taliban representatives in Qatar in July, and another meeting could be held this month.</s>KABUL: A helicopter carrying security forces crashed in western Afghanistan, killing all five people on board, including the pilot, officials said on Saturday, but ruled out a militant attack.

A wave of assaults by Taliban militants in recent weeks has forced Afghan and foreign forces to make far greater use of air transport to move troops and supplies, but inadequate training and poor planning have led to frequent crashes.

The latest crash was caused by technical difficulties rather than a militant attack, said Naser Mehri, a spokesman for the governor of Farah province, site of the accident.

"The helicopter crashed due to a technical issue, not due to Taliban fire," Mehri said. The cause of the crash is being investigated, said a defence ministry official in Kabul, the capital, adding that the helicopter had been transporting Afghan security forces.</s>At least five army personnel, all crew members of a military helicopter, were killed late Friday when their aircraft crashed and caught fire in western Afghanistan.

Ghafor Ahmad Jawed, Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman, said two pilots, two sharpshooters and an engineer died when their chopper caught fire after an emergency landing in Khaki Safad district in Farah Province.

 

 “The chopper was on its way from Herat to Farah when it crashed, killing five crew members,” he said.

Mohammad Naser Mehri, provincial governor's spokesman, said the hard landing was caused by a technical problem and the chopper caught fire because it was loaded with ammunition.

Mehri said he doesn’t believe the incident was caused by enemy fire although an investigation is continuing.

The Taliban are in control of most of Farah province, especially Khaki Safad district.

In northern Parwan province, a roadside bomb detonated Saturday near a military vehicle, killing four intelligence service members and a civilian, according to Wahida Shahkar, spokeswoman for the provincial governor.

Shahkar said one military personnel and a civilian were wounded in the blast on the outskirts of Charakar, the provincial capital.

“There was a report of a bomb in a village and when the military personnel rushed to defuse it another roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle causing casualties,” she said.

 

 No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Taliban insurgents are active in some areas in Parwan and there have been previous attacks against Afghan security forces there.</s>All the servicemen on board, including four passengers and a pilot, were killed in the crash, the 1TV broadcaster reported, citing governor of the Khaki Safed district Mohammad Navrozi.

According to the governor of the Khaki Safed district, the helicopter was fired at by the Taliban* militants.

READ MORE: UK Army's Armored Vehicles in Afghanistan Break Down Over Heat — Reports

Earlier in September, a Moldovan MI-8 MTV helicopter, belonging to the Valan International Cargo Charter carrier, crashed in the Afghan northern province of Balkh, with two crew members and 10 passengers killed.</s>A helicopter carrying security forces crashed in western Afghanistan, killing all five people on board, including the pilot, officials said on Saturday, but ruled out a terrorist attack.

A wave of assaults by Taliban terrorists in recent weeks has forced Afghan and foreign forces to make far greater use of air transport to move troops and supplies, but inadequate training and poor planning have led to frequent crashes.

The latest crash was caused by technical difficulties rather than a terrorist attack, said Naser Mehri, a spokesman for the governor of Farah province, site of the accident.

"The helicopter crashed due to a technical issue, not due to Taliban fire," Mehri said.

The cause of the crash is being investigated, said a defence ministry official in Kabul, the capital, adding that the helicopter had been transporting Afghan security forces.

The Taliban are fighting to expel foreign forces, defeat the government and impose their terrorist rule after their 2001 ouster by U.S.-led troops.</s>Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Taliban fighters launched several coordinated attacks against Afghanistan checkpoints, killing more than three dozen people, officials said Friday.

The violence spread across four Afghan provinces, from the west near Farah to the northern Samangan province.

The hours-long night-time gun battles killed 29 police officers and Afghan national army soldiers in Farah province alone. At least 37 deaths were reported.

Friday's attacks continued what's been a particularly bloody month in Afghanistan.

A suicide bomber killed 68 people who were protesting in the Momandara district on Tuesday. An attack in Safiullah earlier this month killed 14 and an August assault on Ghazni killed and injured 150.

The show of force by the Taliban preceded peace talks set to start between the Taliban and the United States. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis made a surprise visit to Afghanistan last week as a prelude to negotiations.

The war in Afghanistan has gone on for more than 17 years and is the longest-running war in U.S. history.

Pompeo has named veteran diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad as a special envoy to Afghanistan, and said he's focused on "developing the opportunities to get the Afghans and the Taliban to come to a reconciliation."</s>Al Jazeera: Afghan security personnel and civilians targeted in night-time attacks across the country – At least 37 people have been killed in night-time attacks across four provinces of Afghanistan, officials said. Twenty-nine police officers and members of the Afghan national army were killed in Taliban attacks in the western province of Farah, the head of the provincial council, Farid Bakhtwar, said. Click here to read more (external link).</s>At least 37 people have been killed in night-time attacks across four provinces of Afghanistan, officials said.

Twenty-nine police officers and members of the Afghan national army were killed in Taliban attacks in the western province of Farah, the head of the provincial council, Farid Bakhtwar, said.

Taliban fighters attacked several check posts on the outskirts of Farah city late Thursday, as well as in three other districts, leaving at least six others wounded, according to the official.

In the northern province of Samangan, gunmen attacked a security outpost in Dara Suf district, triggering an hours-long gun battle.

Local officials said that at least six members of the security forces were killed, including police officials.

At least 14 people were wounded in the attack, provincial council member Safiullah Samangani told DPA news agency.

Earlier this month, 14 people were killed and six injured in Taliban attacks on police checkpoints in the same district.

Meanwhile, civilians have again been caught up in the fighting, with officials reporting two people killed by Taliban fighters in Jalrez district in the central Maidan Wardak province.

Both victims were government employees from the neighbouring province of Bamyan, provincial council members Sardar Bakhtyari and Khawani Sultani said.

The Taliban have seized several districts across the country in recent years and carry out near-daily attacks targeting Afghan security forces.

In August, Taliban fighters launched an assault on the city of Ghazni in an attack that lasted five days. More that 150 civilians were killed and wounded during the assault.

The attack was widely seen as a show of force by the Taliban ahead of possible peace talks with the United States, which has been at war in Afghanistan for nearly 17 years.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan official says at least four army personnel, all crew members of a military helicopter, have been killed when their aircraft crashed and caught fire in western Farah province.

Mohammad Naser Mehri, the provincial governor's spokesman, says two pilots and two sharpshooters died late Friday night when their chopper caught fire after an emergency landing in Khaki Safad district.

Mehri says the hard landing was caused by a technical problem but soon the chopper caught fire as it was loaded with ammunition.

He says he doesn't believe the incident was caused by enemy fire although an investigation is continuing.

The Taliban are in control of most areas in Farah province, especially Khaki Safad district.
At least five Afghan National Army soldiers are killed in a helicopter crash in Farah Province, Afghanistan.