KABUL (SW): The government of Pakistan confirmed on Saturday that the captive crew of the copter that crash-landed in Afghanistan have been released by the Taliban.
The crew “was released in an inter-tribe exchange (and) have arrived in Islamabad today”, Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said in a statement. All crew members are safe and in good health, the statement added. The copter reportedly belonging to the Punjab government made an emergency landing in a Taliban-controlled Azara district of Logar province on August 4.
Pakistan claimed it was flying to Russia for maintenance and six crew members, including a Russian navigator, were taken hostage by a group of militants believed to be the Taliban.
According to the Dawn news, the Foreign Office has said earlier this week that the Afghan government was trying to secure their release with the help of elders of the area.
Following the crash, Gen Raheel had immediately called Commander Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan General Nicolson and the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, asking them to help in organizing a safe and early recovery of the hostages.
Meanwhile, Abdul Wali Wakil, member of the provincial has denied these reports. Talking to Salam Watandar, he said that the crew members are still under the captivity of the Taliban, and they are probing the reasons behind its landing in Logar, Afghanistan. He noted that discussions between the representatives of the Pakistani government and the Taliban are underway.
Hameedullah Hameed, the Azara district chief said in this regard that the Taliban have moved the captive men to an undisclosed location. He also rejected the reports about the release of the copter crew.
ENDS
