Afghan crew attempts to fly Black Hawk, they crash

The Taliban’s defense ministry reports that a U.S. made Black Hawk crashed, killing at least three crew members. Five others were wounded. Afghanistan did have US trained pilots, but they fled as it became evident that the previous Aghan government was going to fall and be replaced by the Taliban.

From the Associated Press:

ISLAMABAD (AP) — At least three Afghan crew members were killed Saturday when a U.S.-manufactured Black Hawk helicopter they were flying crashed, the Taliban’s defense ministry said.

The statement said that five others were wounded in the accident during a training session overseen by Afghanistan’s defense ministry at the capital of Kabul.

It is not known how many U.S. choppers remain in the hands of the Taliban government. As the U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed in mid-August last year, dozens of Afghan pilots fled to Central Asian countries, including Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Afghan air force pilots played a key role, alongside their U.S. counterparts, in the 20-year war against Taliban insurgents that ended with the departure of foreign troops last year. The airstrikes inflicted heavy casualties among the Taliban and repeatedly drove them from positions they had seized in different parts of the country.

The Associated Press has more information here.

Category: Afghanistan, Taliban