An Afghan army helicopter crashed in northern Afghanistan yesterday, killing all seven people on board, the defense ministry said, citing technical failure.
But the Taliban claimed they shot down the M-17 helicopter in Baghlan province, as the insurgents step up attacks on government forces. W ‘‘Around 4 a.m., two M-17 helicopters were supplying a base in Qorghan Tepa of Baghlan, and one of them caught fire due to technical failure and crashed,’’ the defense ministry said in a statement.
‘‘Four crew members and three army soldiers were martyred in the incident,’’ it added.
The crash comes as Afghan forces are battling to flush out Taliban insurgents from neighboring Kunduz after they stormed into the city on Monday. (AFP)