US contractors killed in Helmand crash

KABUL): The three people killed in Monday’s helicopter crash in the Nad Ali district of southern Helmand province were private American contractors working for the Pentagon, their company said on Tuesday.

The chopper went down in the Shawal area of the district at 11am on Monday, district police chief Maj. Omer Jan told Pajhwok Afghan News. The aircraft caught fire while attempting an emergency landing, he said.

AAR Airlift, the contractors’ company, said in a statement there were no other passengers on the helicopter, which Taliban fighters claimed shooting down. But the firm said the cause was not yet known.

A day earlier, the Nad Ali district police chief said the helicopter had technical problems. The chopper was conducting operations for the US Department of Defense, the company said, adding the victims’ families had been contacted.

AAR Airlift provides expeditionary airlift services and specialised aircraft modifications for defence and humanitarian relief operations. Under current contracts, the company provides airlift for the Pentagon in three regions around the world.

pr/mud

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