An Afghan Air Force Mi-17 multirole helicopter, that was used in resupply missions by Afghan National Security Forces, crashed on Wednesday night, killing four crews and five soldiers, the ministry said in a statement.
The tragic incident took place in the Bihsud district of Wardak.
Meanwhile, TOLO news reported that the helicopter was hit by a man-portable air defense system during takeoff.
In the video obtained by TOLO news, the infrared homing surface-to-air missile is seen hitting the helicopter. Unfortunately, official sources do not comment on this video.
Local media also quoted the source saying that four army helicopters were supplying Afghan forces in Behsud district, Maidan Wardak province, early after midnight on Thursday, but one of them was attacked and was downed.
Fawad Aman, a spokesman for Defense Ministry, said that based on their investigation and evidence, the Afghan Air Force helicopters “were attacked by Alipoor’s militia in Behsud district.”
“The Ministry of Defense will revenge for the attack at any cost,” he said.