5 August 2016, 09:25 GMT
NEW DELHI (Sputnik) – Senior Taliban leader Qari Saifullah Mehsud told the Pakistani newspaper Dawn that the crew was captured by the Hakeemullah Mehsud group of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan organization and being held in Azra district of the eastern Afghan Logar province.
He also said that there was no use in trying to seek help of Afghanistan’s authorities as the territory was fully controlled by the Taliban.
Mehsud added that the detainees would be killed if Afghan or US forces tried to release them.
The helicopter reportedly flew from Peshawar to Uzbekistan’s city of Bukhara when the crash landing occurred on Thursday. There were reportedly seven people on board with one of them being a Russian citizen. On Friday, the Afghan authorities ordered a rescue mission.
