Pak Army helicopter crashes in tribal belt, 26 killed

A military helicopter crashed in Pakistan's Orakzai agency on Saturday due to a technical glitch, killing 26 army troopers, even as the Taliban claimed that they had shot down the chopper.

Updated on: Jul 3, 2009, 23:33:24 IST

PTI | By HT Correspondent, Islamabad

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A military helicopter crashed in Pakistan's Orakzai agency on Saturday due to a technical glitch, killing 26 army troopers, even as the Taliban claimed that they had shot down the chopper.

"Twenty-six army troops were martyred when a cargo helicopter of Pakistan's Army crashed in Orakzai Agency today," Geo TV said.

According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the helicopter crashed after developing a technical fault.

Earlier, the Taliban had claimed that they targeted a helicopter of security forces in the Cheer Ferozkhel border area between Orakzai and Khyber Agencies.

Investigation into the incident is on, official sources said.

Pakistan has stepped up its two-month military offensive against the Taliban militants in the restive northwestern region and is preparing to launch a ground assault on Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud's stronghold South Waziristan.

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