The defense ministry of Afghanistan reported that two pilots lost their lives on Sunday following the crash of a US-made military helicopter in northern Afghanistan.
According to a tweet from the defense minister, the incident occurred when an MD-530 helicopter belonging to the country’s air force was en route from Mazar-e-Sharif airfield to Samangan and collided with an electricity pylon.
In a separate incident back in September, a Black Hawk helicopter, which had been taken over by the Taliban government after the tumultuous US withdrawal from Afghanistan, crashed during a training session in Kabul. The crash resulted in the tragic deaths of two pilots and a crew member.
During the withdrawal process in 2021, the US military left behind a significant amount of equipment, including aircraft, vehicles, weapons, and other hardware, with a total value in the billions of dollars. However, the US military stated that much of the abandoned equipment had been rendered inoperable.
