Centrum Stosunków Międzynarodowych - 5 August 2016: Russian helicopter navigator captured by taliban

Pakistani helicopter made an emergency landing in Afghanistan when it was heading for maintenance and repairs, in the fixing post of a firm belonging to the Russian Helicopters company, the Russian holdings’ reported TASS. "Pakistan’s Mi-17 commercial helicopter piloted by Pakistani pilots was on its way to an enterprise belonging to the Russian Helicopters holdings for repairs," the press service said. The helicopter made an emergency landing in Afghanistan because of a technical breakdown. After that, the helicopter went on fire. The crew including six retired Pakistani military and a Russian air navigator were not damaged.

DawnNews reported that a Punjab government Mi-17 helicopter had seven people aboard and was travelling to Uzbekistan for maintenance when it went down close to the Afghan-Pakistan border and Pakistan's Kurram tribal area. It reported that all seven people onboard survived the crash but were taken hostage by Taliban militants who set the helicopter on fire.However, later they were captured by the Taliban. Russian Helicopters claimed that Pakistan and Russia had struck a deal for the helicopter’s repairs in July 2016.
Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif stated that his government is using "formal and informal channels" to pursue the return of seven passengers of a crashed helicopter who were seized. "Russian Helicopters’ experts have been in constant contact with the Foreign Ministry and the Pakistani authorities with an aim to clarify the accident’s causes," the press service put on.