MI-17 crash landing: TTP denies reports of holding crew as hostage

ISLAMABAD: The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has dismissed reports that their commander is holding Punjab government’s helicopter crew, which crash-landed in Afghanistan on Thursday, as hostage.

Some news outlets reported TTP commander Adam Khan Kochai had captured the crew members after the MI-17 helicopter crash-landed in Logar province on August 4.

“The news is completely baseless. We contacted him and he denied the report,” TTP spokesperson Mohammad Khurasani said in a statement.

The helicopter made crash-landing while it was on its way to Russia via Uzbekistan. Afghanistan had granted permission to the helicopter to use its airspace.

Afghan Taliban also rejected reports that Pakistani Taliban had abducted the crew members.

Sources, as well as Afghan officials, including the country’s envoy in Islamabad Omar Zakhilwal said Afghan Taliban were holding the crew.

Other media outlets said TTP’s Hakimullah group was holding the crew; however, Khorasani said there is no Hakimullah group within the TTP.

There is no spokesperson with the name of Qari Saifullah of the Taliban group and it is a fake name, he added.