A video circulating on social media claims that the Afghan Taliban have shot down a Pakistan Army MI-17 helicopter in Kurram Agency.
On the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), a user named “Baba Banaras” shared a video of a destroyed helicopter, stating: “Afghan forces shot down Pakistan Army Helicopter along the disputed Durand line in Kurram.”
A social media account named “Baloch Circle” also tweeted, claiming: “The Taliban have shot down a Pakistani Army MI-17 helicopter near Kurram Agency close to the Afghan border. Reports suggest that Pakistani SSG commandos have been captured, and it appears the MI-17 helicopter crashed inside Afghan territory.”
Some social media accounts have also claimed that after the Taliban shot down the helicopter, SSG commandos were taken into custody, with an image of an injured soldier shared alongside these claims. However, the image of the injured soldier shared on social media is actually of an Indian soldier who was detained following a clash with Chinese forces at Pangong Lake in 2020.
According to a report by the American news agency Associated Press (AP), a military helicopter did crash, but it belonged to the Afghan forces, not Pakistan.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Defense stated that one of their helicopters crashed in Afghanistan’s Ghor province, resulting in one fatality and twelve injuries. The MI-17 helicopter crashed due to a technical fault.
The Afghan Ministry reported on X (formerly Twitter) that the helicopter was on a rescue mission for a vehicle carrying civilians that had fallen into a river near Ferozkoh, the provincial capital of Ghor. The helicopter crew attempted an emergency landing but hit a wall and crashed. The identity of the deceased person has not been confirmed, and it is unclear how many individuals were on board.
