Wardak council accuses Alipour’s men of downing helicopter

Wahidullah Akbarzoy, Secretary of Maidan Wardak’s Provincial Council, said the Afghan military helicopter that crashed on Wednesday night was shot down by militia’s loyal to local strongman Abdul Ghani Alipour.

Nine people, including crew and security force members, were killed in the crash.

One of the crew killed was reportedly an experienced pilot who had flown countless missions and had bravely landed his helicopter on the roof of the 400-bed hospital in Kabul when it was under siege in 2018. He was able to rescue dozens of patients and staff during the insurgent attack.

The Ministry of Defense meanwhile confirmed Wednesday night’s crash and said it was investigating the incident.

Yasin Zia, Chief of Army Staff, said: “Those who martyred our comrades and genuine sons of Afghanistan in Behsud district of Maidan Wardak last night will be seriously investigated.”

“This heinous act will not go unanswered, and anyone who engages with our forces will be severely repressed as an enemy,” he added.

Alipour, the leader of a private militia in the central Afghanistan province, was arrested in 2018 on charges of illegal activities and disrupting security but was released after widespread demonstrations.

Since then, the Alipour’s militia has surfaced from time to time — most recently on 29 January when reports emerged of them having clashed with Afghan security forces in Wardak province after the Afghan forces allegedly killed some civilians during a protest on the same day.