Afghanistan rubbishes Taliban's claim, says copter crashed due to technical issues

The Afghan Ministry of Defense (MoD) said Sunday that the Afghan National Army's Mi-17 helicopter crashed due to technical issues, contrary to the claims made by the Taliban that the helicopter was shot down by the members of the terror outfit.

The Mi-17 helicopter crashed, killing all seven on board, as it was delivering supplies to an army base along with another Mi-17 in Qurgahn Tapa area of northern Baghlan province in Afghanistan.

The MoD added that the helicopter was delivering supplies to the armed forces under the militants' siege in Qurghan Tapa area.

Earlier, the Taliban group claimed that its fighters shot down the helicopter as it was trying to air drop supplies to the Afghan security forces.

The group also shared pictures taken from long distance which purportedly showed smoke rising from the area of the incident.

The Taliban insurgents have intensified attacks on key northern provinces during the recent months as the group attempts to expand its insurgency in north of the country.