The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan claimed it shot down a Pakistani Army helicopter that was transporting foreign diplomats in the northern part of the country yesterday, and released a video showing its fighters training on a ‘SAM-7’ (SA-7) anti-aircraft missile to support its claim. The Pakistani government has vehemently denied the aircraft was shot down, and has stated that it crashed due to engine failure.
The Pakistani Army Mi-17 was part of a convoy of three helicopters that were transporting foreign diplomatic personnel to the opening of a ski resort in the Naltar Valley in Gilgit-Baltistan in northern Pakistan. Seven people, including the ambassadors of Norway and the Philippines, the wives of the ambassador of Indonesia and the High Commissioner of Malaysia, the two Army helicopter pilots, and a crew member were killed in the crash. Several other foreign dignitaries were injured in the crash.
The helicopter was close to a landing zone when it spiraled out of control and landed on top of a school. There were no casualties on the ground, as the building was empty.
The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan claimed it shot down the Mi-17 immediately after the crash. The Pakistani government denied the reports, and within hours of the crash, said the helicopter suffered from technical malfunctions. A Pakistani military officer said the helicopter had “11 hours of flying following regular servicing,” Dawn reported.
Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary, Aizaz Ahmad called the Taliban’s claim “bogus,” and said the military deployed thousands of soldiers to secure the surrounding area, Xinhua reported.
The Long War Journal cannot independently confirm the Taliban’s propaganda claim that it shot down the Mi-17.
The Taliban first stated yesterday morning that its “Special Task Force” and “Taliban Intelligence Agency” planned and executed the attack, and that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was the target.
“[The] Special unit of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan STF (Special Task Force) and TIA [Taliban Intelligence Agency] had devised a special plan to target Nawaz Sharif during his visit today,” Muhammad Khurasani, the spokesman for the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan said in an email sent to The Long War Journal. “However, Nawaz Sharif escaped as he was in another helicopter. And an Mi-17 of Pakistan was targeted with an anti-aircraft [missile]. As a result pilots of the aircraft and several foreign ambassadors joining Nawaz Sharif in the visit were killed.”
The Taliban have recently promoted attacks by the Special Task Force, which is also known as the Mujahideen Special Group, and showed the unit preparing for attacks at the Mehdi Alaih Rizwan Training Center. [See LWJ report, Pakistani Taliban promotes ‘Muhajideen Special Group,’ training camp.]
Khurasani then said the Taliban “will be presenting the shoulder launched missile (SAM 7) used in this holy action and its training to the entire world” and accused the media of being partial to the Pakistan government.
This morning, Khurasani emailed a video to The Long War Journal that shows a Taliban fighter displaying a SA-7 and training other fighters on its use. The trainer instructs the Taliban fighters on how to target an airplane. The video does not include footage of the Taliban targeting a helicopter.
The Long War Journal cannot verify that the anti-aircraft missile displayed in the Taliban is operational, or was used in an attack that is claimed by the Taliban.
While the Gilgit-Baltistan administrative district of Pakistan is not a traditional area of operations for the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, jihadist groups are known to operate camps in the northern region. Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, and Harakat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, three jihadist groups that are closely allied with the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, are all known to operate training camps in what used to be known as the “Northern Areas.” [See LWJ report, US sanctions Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba and al Qaeda leaders.]
Screen shots from the Taliban video of the SA-7:
