Senior Afghan army general killed in helicopter crash
A helicopter crash in western Afghanistan has left a top army general killed and at least ten other people injured.
Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that General Mohiuddin Ghori, the army corps' commander in Badghis province, was killed in the crash, which was due to the military helicopter's malfunction.
Ghori was one of the six regional commanders of the Afghan army. He had a good reputation for repelling attacks by the Taliban militant group.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a letter of condolence, calling the death of Ghori a "big loss" for Afghanistan's armed forces and people.
At least 10 officials accompanying Ghori, including the head of the provincial council and the chief of the provincial intelligence, were injured in the crash.
Mohammad Radmanish, the deputy spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, denied speculations that the incident was the result of an insurgent attack, saying the Russian-made Mi-17 aircraft went down in the Murichan area of Bala Murghab district over a "technical fault."
Radmanish said the commander and other officials were on a visit to a newly-established army base in the area when the incident occurred.
The Taliban claimed its militants had carried out an attack on the military helicopter, but there was no indication members of the militant group had been operating in the area.
Taliban recently launched an offensive to seize control of Bala Murghab but the militants were pushed back by Ghori's forces.
Decades of war have affected the Afghan air force. Reports say the air force, which once enjoyed significant support from the Soviet Union, currently has a fleet of about 100 aircraft and 50 Russian Mi-17 transport helicopters.
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