Officials say an Afghan army helicopter carrying senior officials has crashed, killing all 25 on board.

Naser Mehri, a spokesman for the governor of western Farah province, said two army helicopters were on their way to neighbouring Herat province when one lost control.

Among the dead were the deputy army corps commander for western Afghanistan and head of the Farah provincial council, Mehri said.

Provincial council member Dadullah Qaneh said the helicopter hit a mountain peak in poor weather en route to neighbouring Herat province.

A Taliban spokesperson said fighters belonging to the armed group shot it down.

Senior Afghan government and military officials often travel by helicopter in regions where the Taliban has a large presence.</s>Afghan forces helicopters fly during an operation in 2017. File pic

Twenty-five people have been killed after an Afghan army helicopter crashed in bad weather.

The crash happened in the western Farah province, which borders Iran.

All 25 people on board were killed, including the deputy commander of the western zone, a provincial spokesman said.

General Naimudullah Khalil died alongside two members of the Farah provincial council, including chairman Farid Bakhtawar.

Mohammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the Farah governor, said the helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from the mountainous Anar Dara district at around 9.10am (4.40am GMT).

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It was heading towards nearby Herat province.

Image: Afghan security forces arrive at the site of the suicide attack in Kabul

The Taliban claimed its militants brought it down, while provincial council member Dadullah Qaneh said the helicopter hit a mountain peak in poor weather.

Helicopter crashes are not uncommon in the mountainous country.

In September, five crew members died when their helicopter crashed. Investigators blamed the crash on a technical failure, but did not provide further explanation.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, a suicide bomb attack took place outside the country's largest prison on the edge of the capital Kabul.

No one has claimed the attack which claimed the lives of seven people, including prison workers and security personnel, the interior ministry said.

The attacker targeted a bus carrying prison workers, he said.

The Pul-e-Charkhi prison houses hundreds of inmates, including a large number of Taliban insurgents.

Abadullah Karimi, a prison official, said the attack occurred near the prison gate where visitors were waiting to pass a rigorous security check before entering.</s>An Afghan army helicopter carrying 25 people crashed in western Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing all those on board, officials said.

The aircraft crashed due to "bad weather" in Anar Dara district, which borders Iran, Farah provincial governor spokesman Nasir Mehri said.

The Taliban claimed its militants brought it down.

Both pilots and 23 passengers were killed.

Among the dead were the deputy army corps commander for western Afghanistan and the head of the Farah provincial council, Mehri said.

Provincial council member Dadullah Qaneh said the helicopter hit a mountain peak in poor weather en route to neighbouring Herat province.

Senior government and military officials often travel by helicopter in regions where the Taliban has a large presence.

Helicopter crashes are not uncommon in the mountainous, war-torn country.

In September, an Afghan military helicopter carrying weapons and ammunition burst into flames during an "emergency landing" in Farah, killing at least four people.

Earlier that month at least 12 people were killed, including two Ukrainians, when a helicopter owned by a Moldovan company crashed in the northern province of Balkh.

The aircraft also was carrying munitions and exploded on impact, Afghan officials said.

Western forces have been rebuilding Afghanistan's air force, which was decimated by the civil war of the 1990s and the turbulent period of Taliban rule that ended in 2001.

NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan has been training pilots and ground controllers across the country as part of a modernisation effort.

US Forces' officials told AFP in February that Afghanistan's air force includes four C-130 transport aircraft, 24 C-208 supply planes, 24 Russian Mi-17 helicopters that will be replaced by 159 UH-60 Black Hawks, 12 A-29 Super Tacano attack planes, and 25 MD-530 attack helicopters.</s>KABUL (Reuters) - An Afghan army helicopter crashed in southwestern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing 25 crew and passengers, provincial officials said.

Naser Mehri, a spokesman for the governor of western Farah province, said two army helicopters were on their way to neighbouring Herat province when one lost control.

He said the aircraft crashed in bad weather. A Taliban spokesman said the militants shot it down.</s>The Taliban reportedly claimed to be behind Wednesday’s crash of an Afghan army helicopter near Afghanistan’s border with Iran that killed all 25 people on board, including senior officials.

Wednesday’s deadly incident comes days after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration imposed sanctions on the Afghan Taliban and its Iranian backers.

The U.S. military has asserted that Iran is lending support to the Taliban, an accusation that Tehran denies.

Naser Mehdi, a spokesman for the provincial governor, says the helicopter crashed around 9:10 a.m. on Wednesday soon after taking off from a mountainous region in Farah en route to nearby Herat, CBS News reports.

Nasir Mehri confirmed the deputy corps commander for western Afghanistan and the head of Farah’s provincial council were among those killed. He blamed bad weather for causing the crash. The Taliban said its fighters shot down the Afghan National Army (ANA) helicopter, though it was not possible to independently verify the insurgent claims.

Both western Afghanistan provinces of Farah and Herat sit along the Iranian border.

On October 23, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against “Taliban facilitators and the Iranian supporters.”

The [multi-national] TFTC [Terrorist Financing Targeting Center] has again demonstrated its tremendous value to international security by disrupting and exposing key Taliban members who are involved in suicide attacks, and other lethal activities. We are also targeting key Iranian sponsors providing financial and material support to the Taliban. Iran’s provision of military training, financing, and weapons to the Taliban is yet another example of Tehran’s blatant regional meddling and support for terrorism. The United States and our partners will not tolerate the Iranian regime exploiting Afghanistan to further their destabilizing behavior. Iran’s support to the Taliban stands in stark violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions and epitomizes the regime’s utter disregard for fundamental international norms.

Separately on Wednesday, Afghan authorities determined that an Islamic State (ISIS)-claimed suicide blast at the country’s largest prison in Kabul killed at least six people and wounded scores of others, bringing the total number of Afghan fatalities that day to 31.

Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid indicated that police officers and civilians were among the victims.</s>Official says Afghan army helicopter carrying senior officials has crashed, killing all 25 on board

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Official says Afghan army helicopter carrying senior officials has crashed, killing all 25 on board.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Official says Afghan army helicopter carrying senior officials has crashed, killing all 25 on board.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan army helicopter crashed Wednesday in bad weather in the western Farah province, killing all 25 people on board, including the deputy corps commander of the western zone, a provincial spokesman said.

Mohammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the Farah governor, said the helicopter crashed around 9:10 a.m. (0440 GMT), shortly after taking off from the mountainous Anar Dara district heading toward the nearby Herat province.

On board were the corps commander, Gen. Naimudullah Khalil, and two members of the Farah provincial council, its chairman, Farid Bakhtawar, and Jamila Amini, one of only two women on the nine-member council.

Wednesday’s was the second army helicopter crash in as many months in Farah. In September, five crew members died when their helicopter crashed. Investigators blamed the crash on a technical failure, without elaborating.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, a suicide bomber struck outside the country’s largest prison on the edge of the capital, Kabul, killing seven people, including prison workers and security personnel, said Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish. The attacker targeted a bus carrying prison workers, he said. The sprawling Pul-e-Charkhi prison houses hundreds of inmates, including scores of Taliban insurgents.

Abadullah Karimi, a prison official, said the attack occurred near the prison gate where visitors were waiting to pass a rigorous security check before entering.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.</s>An Afghan army helicopter crashed Wednesday in bad weather in the western Farah province, killing all 25 people on board, including the deputy corps commander of the western zone, a provincial spokesman said.

Mohammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the Farah governor, said the helicopter crashed around 9:10 a.m., shortly after taking off from the mountainous Anar Dara district heading toward the nearby Herat province.

On board were the corps commander, Gen. Naimudullah Khalil, and two members of the Farah provincial council, its chairman, Farid Bakhtawar, and Jamila Amini, one of only two women on the nine-member council.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmadi claimed the insurgents had downed the helicopter but failed to provide evidence. Defense Ministry spokesman Ghafor Ahmad Jawed rejected the Taliban claim of responsibility as "totally wrong."

Wednesday's was the second army helicopter crash in as many months in Farah. In September, five crew members died when their helicopter crashed. Investigators blamed the crash on a technical failure, without elaborating.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, a suicide bomber struck outside the country's largest prison on the edge of the capital, Kabul, killing seven people, including prison workers and security personnel, said Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish. The attacker targeted a bus carrying prison workers, he said. The sprawling Pul-e-Charkhi prison houses hundreds of inmates, including scores of Taliban insurgents.

Abadullah Karimi, a prison official, said the attack occurred near the prison gate where visitors were waiting to pass a rigorous security check before entering. The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant websites, said the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan claimed responsibility for the suicide attack.</s>Kabul: An Afghan official says an army helicopter carrying senior officials has crashed in bad weather in the western Farah province, killing all 25 on board.

Naser Mehdi, a spokesman for the provincial governor, says the helicopter crashed around 9.10 a.m. (0440 GMT), shortly after taking off from the mountainous Anar Dara district heading toward nearby Herat province. He says the passengers included the deputy corps commander of Afghanistan's western zone and the head of the Farah provincial council.

In another incident, an Interior Ministry official said a suicide bomber struck outside the country's largest prison on the eastern edge of the capital Kabul, killing seven people, including prison workers and security personnel.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the attacker targeted a bus carrying prison workers early Wednesday. The sprawling Pul-e-Charkhi prison houses hundreds of inmates, including scores of Taliban. According to Abadullah Karimi, a prison official, the attack occurred near the prison gate where a number of visitors were waiting to pass a rigorous security check before entering. No one has taken immediate responsibility for the attack.
A helicopter carrying senior Afghan National Army officials crashes, killing all 25 people on board in the western Farah Province, Afghanistan. The Taliban claims responsibility for shooting it down, however Afghan officials blame bad weather as the cause of the crash.